Demure (Mike x Eleven)
by starrdusts
Summary: "Where did she go?" Mike Wheeler is searching for Eleven. Will he ever find her? mileven
1. Follow Me on Wattpad!

_**A/N: Hi everyone! before you continue, please follow me on Wattpad, my username is -etherealangel and I have lots more stuff on there. This fanfic is also on Wattpad so please vote for it and leave me your comments. Thank you!**_


	2. Disclaimer

I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS, ALL RIGHTS GO TO NETFLIX AND THE DUFFER BROTHERS. I ONLY OWN THE PLOT AND ORIGINAL CHARACTERS.


	3. 001: Gone

"Goodbye, Mike."

Her voice was so small, but even still, it was the only thing I could hear, the only thing I could _focus on,_ in the chaos of this moment.

It took me a moment to process exactly what she was saying, what her eyes were _screaming_ at me as she turned back around to face the monster pressed up against the blackboard behind her.

Fear. Sadness. Helplessness as she knew her fate.

She held out her hands and I could almost see her physically _drain_ herself as she attempted to defeat the Demogorgan, the monster that took my best friend, and the same one that was about to take the girl I'd fallen hopelessly in love with. The girl that I shared my first kiss with, the girl I asked to the Snowball Dance, the girl I was in love with and I would never get to see her again because she was about to destroy herself along with this monster.

She was screaming, and I just sat there against the cupboards crying, helpless to save her.

I wanted to jump up and pull her away, to finish the monster off myself, but was _numb_ all over.

Her screams grew louder as she was engulfed by a dark cloud of black fragments, she was clearly in pain. I could see her shaking, _dying_.

I wanted to yell out to her, to _scream her name_ but nothing would come, only more tears as they streaked my cheeks.

 _And then_

She was gone.

Just like that.

Vaporised in a cloud of tortured screams and darkness, although Eleven seemed to vanish, it was me who was unable to find my words. Unable to find myself.

Unable to find her.

My mind was running wild, my thoughts and feelings a trainwreck. I went numb all over, unable to feel anything, do anything.

Where did she go?

I stood up, Lucas and Dustin following me as we looked around the room frantically.

Eleven, where are you?

"El?"

"Eleven!"

I called her name.

"Eleven, where are you!?"

Where did she go?

"El!"

Please come back.

But

She was gone.

It didn't matter how often I called her name, how many times I screamed and shouted.

 _I couldn't find her._

She couldn't have just left me like that, how could she destroy herself along with that monster?

I just couldn't fathom the idea that she was gone. Even if I just witnessed it happen. These things _just don't happen._ She couldn't be gone. It's impossible.

Where was she?

Come back to me.

I pleaded and cried but my efforts were futile, when I slowly came to realise that she...

She was gone.

Heartbreak changes you.

It's like a storm in your chest, an indescribable aching feeling, an awful incurable pain.

The kind that leaves you motionless in bed, sick in every way imagineable.

I've felt heartbreak before.

 _But never like this._

Eleven's been missing for nearly two months now. She missed out on Christmas, the Snowball dance...

I miss her _so badly_.

I miss her dark eyes, how gentle she was, her curiosity, her love for Eggos. I miss her quiet voice, they way she said my name.

Dustin and Lucas told me she was dead, but I don't believe that for a second.

I've gone out and searched for her countless times, my efforts proving to be futile.

 _But I just know she's still out there._

Sometimes, I even imagine she's here with me, as I sit in her fort and talk to myself, telling myself stories of when we were together, and I imagine that she's listening to every word.

Will doesn't talk much these days.

He's quieter than he used to be, but I know that it's not heartbreak that changed him.

It was that awful _place._

 _The Upside Down._

 ** _A/N: Hello everyone! It's been a while! I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but there will be more story in the next chapter, it'll be good, I promise! This was kind of just an introduction to how Mike is coping with everything after Eleven disappeared. The next chapter will be good, See you soon! :)_**


	4. 002: Lights

I never took down the fort I built for her.

I lie down amongst the blankets and pillows I set out for Eleven, and I can't help but notice that her scent hasn't left since she disappeared.

Even though I wouldn't admit it, I was in love with Eleven.

I still am.

It's awful, this feeling of heartbreak and loneliness, having to deal with her absence and be expected to function normally.

All I really want to do is just hold her, tell her everything is okay and that she no longer needs to worry about the bad men because they're all gone, they're all gone and she can finally be safe with me.

But that isn't true. Is it?

I clutch her pillow against my chest, curling up into a ball and squeezing my eyes shut. I choke on a few tears, feeling them roll down my cheeks and fall onto her pillow. I sob into her pillow, rolling onto my side and letting myself cry for a short while.

Eventually I sit up and wipe my eyes. I sniffle a little bit and pick up my supercom, remembering how fascinated Eleven was by it when I first met her.

I'm startled when the light in the basement flickers and turns off. I get up and walk over to the middle of the room cautiously, wondering if its just an electrical issue of if its perhaps...

 _Something else..._

I stand beneath the light, assessing the situation in confusion. It flickers again, and I jump backwards, startled.

Then from my hand, comes a kind of humming noise from my supercom.

I look at the device expectantly, this isn't a coincidence.

"Eleven?" I whisper hopefully, waiting and waiting for something else to happen.

The light turns back on and shines even brighter than before, the light stinging my eyes so much I have to shield my face with my hand.

I stare at the device in my hand with wide eyes, hoping and praying for any more signs of her.

"Eleven?"

"El, are you there?"

 _And then..._

" _M-Mike?_ "

My eyes widen even more, a huge smile following suit.

I haven't smiled in so long.

"Eleven! El, is that you? Are you safe?"

" _M-Mike, I'm... I'm not safe."_

The smile disappears, a worried expression replacing it.

"Where are you?" I yell into the supercom.

" _U-Upside Down."_

"Don't worry! I'll find you, I swear it! Just stay where you are and I'll come find you!"

" _Promise?"_

"Promise!"

The light above me shines even brighter, the globe then shattering, glass falling all around me on the floor and in my dark hair. The light quickly disappeared from the room.

I'm suddenly terror stricken.

"Eleven!"

Nothing.

"Eleven are you there?"

" _Eleven...?"_

 _I'll find you, I promise._


	5. 003: The Bad Men

The late afternoon sun doesn't help with the cold breeze as I ride through the streets of Hawkins and down into the woods, searching and searching for any sign of her.

I go over a bump and my backpack bounces on my back, my bag filled with a box of Eggos for Eleven, a flashlight and some water.

The icy breeze ruffles my short, dark hair, my coat whipping around behind me.

I ride along the empty road, towards the woods as fast as I can. I see the trees up ahead, the bark damp from the previous night's rain.

I notice a van coming towards me, and I swerve to the right, catching a glimpse of the words _U.S Department of Energy._

I stare wide-eyed in horror, memories flooding back of the bad men, the evil people who tried to take Eleven away from all of us.

The people who caused her pain and treated her like their _science experiment_.

I suddenly feel so afraid for Eleven. She's stuck in the Upside Down, that terrible place that tore our friend Will in two. That place changed him. _Broke him_.

She said she wasn't safe, she said she's in danger, stuck in that awful place in need of help.

I can only hope that I have the strength to save her.

But I'm so _afraid._

"Pull yourself together, Mike!" I say to myself aloud, "quit being such a sissy, Eleven's in danger!"

 _What if I'm too late?_

I hit myself in the forehead several times, knocking the thoughts from my head.

 _She'll be okay._

I'll bring her home and just like I promised, she'll get a bed and a family and all the Eggos she could ever want.

I swore to myself that I'd keep my promise.

I make it to the edge of the woods, hiding my bike behind a tree.

I grab my supercom off of the front of my bike and stuff it in my backpack.

"Eleven!" I call, jumping off of my bike and running through the trees, my feet crunching on the dry dead leaves on the ground. I run and run, calling her name and frantically searching for any signs of her.

My head spins around, my eyes darting from one corner of the woods to the other, searching for anything.

I walk for what feels like years, getting deeper and deeper into the woods. I call her name over and over, hoping for a reply.

My dark eyes widen when I hear a sound behind me, a crunching noise like my feet on the leaves, only its not coming from me.

I swing my head around, seeing a pair people dressed in black in the distance walking towards me.

 _Dr. Brenner_

I freeze, terrified. This is impossible, he was killed by the moster!

 _How is he here? Who is that with him?_

I sprint behind a tree, hiding myself and covering my mouth. _I thought he died? Why is he here?_

I strain my ears to hear their conversation unfold as they walk past me.

"So," Brenner's husky voice spoke first, his footsteps coming to a halt, "have you managed to open the gate?"

The sound of his voice makes me shudder, his uniquely accented words dripping from his lips like acid.

How could sweet Eleven have survived all of those years with someone as ruthless as him for a father?

A girl spoke next, her voice smooth and clear, like honey. She sounded a little older than myself, a little more mature as she said, "Yes, but I wouldn't recommend going in there without any gear. The atmosphere is toxic."

"I'm well aware of that," Dr. Brenner says matter-of-factly, "but how long can you keep it open for? Is that _thing_ still alive? The monster?"

"Yes," the girl said, "she was so weak, she didn't manage to destroy it completely. The last time I was in there, it had just been weakened. But _she's_ still hiding. Don't worry, we will find her. But I can only keep it open for a few days at a time. We don't want that monster getting out."

"Will you be able to kill that thing?"

"Of course. I was born in there after all."

My eyes widen at that.

 _Born in there?_ What does that mean?

"I'll meet you back here tomorrow. Do you remember where the gate is?" Brenner says confidently.

"Of course I remember, I'm not stupid, Brenner. The gate is just a few miles north of here. Or were you asking because _you_ don't remember?" The girl says, her footsteps moving away from me.

"I was just making sure. Thank you, Twelve, I'll see you tomorrow."

The girl had already started walking away, her voice like ice as she spat the words, "that's not my name, Brenner. I'm not your little science experiment."

I sit at the base of the tree for a few more minutes, just until they're out of earshot of my footsteps.

That girl... _Twelve_ , managed to open a gate to the Upside Down.

Just like Eleven did.

What if Twelve is like Eleven? Does she have superpowers too?

I have to tell the others.

I take out my supercom from my backpack and set it to the correct channel.

"Dustin? Lucas? Will? Do you copy?"

I wait for an answer, but all I hear is a strange crackling noise.

Then, I hear muffled voices, but they're so inaudible I can barely make out a single word.

 _The gate_

It must be messing with the signal.

I can't waste time. I have to get Eleven out while I can. I can't just stand here and wait for signal, and I can't go back now. What if I'm seen? What if the gate closes?

I have to go _now_.

I put the device back into my backpack, and noticing that it's now early evening, I pull out my flashlight, turning it on and pointing it north.

Then, I begin running in the direction of the gate, my breath fast and my heart pounding against my chest. The leaves crunch beneath my sneakers, and my fringe keeps getting caught in my eyes. But I don't care, as long as I get her back.

 _I'm going to find Eleven!_

 _The gate is just a few miles north of here._

That's where I'm heading.

A huge smile plasters itself on my face, I can finally make her safe, I can finally dance with her, even if it's not at the Snowball. I'll dance with her, I'll show her Star Wars and I'll teach her how to play Dungeons and Dragons.

She and I will finally be able to be happy.

Eventually I make it to a large tree, with a small hole at the bottom, cobwebs and a strange kind of slime covering the opening.

 _The gate!_

Fear suddenly envelopes me, my palms becoming sweaty and my breath quickening. I know what happened to Will in there, and I can't imagine what could have happened to Eleven, especially with the Demogorgan still in there with her.

But she's _alive_.

I kneel down to touch the gooey slime, my fingers getting caught in the strange sticky cobwebs. I quickly pull my fingers away, they feel cold and sticky, coated in a brown slime.

I then put on a face of determination, check on the box of Eggos I brought for Eleven on the way here and get ready to climb inside and enter the Upside Down.

"Don't worry Eleven," I whisper, "I'll bring you back, and I'll make you safe again."

"Promise."

 ** _A/N: Hi again, sorry this chapter is so short. I'm trying to make my chapters longer, the next chapter is gonna sooooo good awwww yiss. Anyways bye now._**


	6. 004: Upside-Down

I begin crawling through the hole, my fingers getting caught in the slime and cobwebs and something squishy.

I can feel the moisture from the ground seeping into the knees of my pants, the ends of my sleeves growing soggy too. My hair is sticky with slime from when I entered the hole, drops of it dripping down my face.

I begin to get sweaty, although you wouldn't be able to tell beneath the layer of slime coating my skin.

I keep my mouth squeezed shut, although it smells awful, the taste in my mouth is even worse.

I eventually come to the end, and when I step out from the hole, I notice I'm in the exact same place, at the exact same tree. Only this time, the sky is dark, in fact, everything is dark in here. All of the trees look dead, black vines strangling the trunk of each tree, the short dead grass crawling with black vines too.

I contain my fear and start walking. My eyes dart around searching for any sign of Eleven amongst this dusty air. The air smells awful, like dust and dried blood, and something else I can't describe.

I decide to breathe through my mouth, hoping the taste would have disappeared now that I've reached the other side, only to discover I am terribly wrong.

My mouth tastes as though I just coughed up a lung full of blood and my throat begin to feel dry and sticky.

I snap my mouth shut and continue walking.

 _Where should I look?_

Eventually, I come across a destroyed Castle Byers, which I assume has been in this state since the Demogorgan found Will here all of those months ago.

Just to be sure, I pick up a piece of blood stained cloth and inspect the interior of the collapsed fort.

Nothing.

I stand up and look around.

"Eleven!" I scream, my voice cracking with every syllable.

I start running towards Will's house, remembering that it isn't too far from here.

I make it to the front of the Byers' house, and I cautiously make my way to the front door, the dead, sticky leaves crunching beneath my sneakers.

I reach for the doorknob, my fingers sliding over the cold surface. I then turn the doorknob and push open the door, stepping inside. I looked around the kitchen, the furniture all wrapped up in black strings of vine.

" _Mom the lights!"_ I hear a faint voice say.

Will?

"Will it's me, Mike!" I screamed in no direction in particular.

I keep walking around, wondering if Will and Joyce can hear me.

 _"Someone's in there... What if it's Eleven, Will?"_ I hear Joyce say.

 _"Eleven's dead, Mum... Dustin and Lucas told me. If a gate's been opened, it could be anyone."_ Will's voice sounds frightened, I don't blame him.

 _"If a gate's been opened, shouldn't that be all the more reason to believe that Eleven's alive?"_

I continue walking through Hawkin's, sometimes hearing voices and sometimes hearing footsteps behind me, but then I remember, I'm not alone in here.

The asphalt on the road in cracked in nearly every direction, windows broken on houses and black snaky vines _everywhere._ I decide that it's too dark, and pull out my flashlight.

I shine the light in one of the windows of a house a I get a glimpse of something moving inside. Something very _non-human_.

I run away, fleeing the scene towards my school.

I search around frantically, checking every building and every car on the side of the street. I even checked the school and the library, where Chief Hopper and Joyce found Will after the Demogorgan found him first.

I decide to check my own house, remembering how the light had blown and my conversation with Eleven using my walkie-talkie.

I get to the door that leads to the basement, which in covered in vines, each one snaking up from the ground and wrapping themselves around the door handle, and even around the sides of the door, slipping through the gaps and into the basement.

I pull on the door handle, the door not even budging. Then. I put my foot on the wall next to me, and yank on the doorknob as hard as I can, pulling it open and tearing the vines in two.

When I walk inside I hear a voice, a gentle and quiet voice, the voice of a girl humming a tune from no particular song. I sprint around the corner and peek inside the fort I built for Eleven.

I pull away the sheet at the opening, and I huge smile plasters itself onto my face. It's such a wide smile I can already feel my cheeks hurting after only a few seconds, and when she looks up at me, this whole dark parallel world seems to light up before my eyes.

And then, in her small, broken voice she whispers, " _Mike?_ "


	7. 005: Found

I help Eleven up from the floor and hold her in my arms. I hold her so close to me, so tightly I'm afraid she'll shatter in my arms. She feels so thin, so fragile, so _broken_ I feel terrible for not being able to do anything more than hold her.

I can feel her crying against my shoulder, her sobs muffled by my coat, which I immediately take off and wrap around her small body.

"M-Mike," she whispers, her voice broken and barely audible, "not s-safe here."

I shake my head, "El I'm here to rescue you, I'm gonna take you home. The guys will be so happy to see you!" I wipe her tears away, my hand shaking and I realise just how cold it is without my coat. She shivers and nods, but she still seems hesitant to seem happy that I'm here.

Eleven looks unhealthily thin, and I remember the Eggos I packed in my bag. I pull out the box, tearing it open and I pass a few to Eleven. She nibbles on them hungrily, but she seems to weak and so fragile.

She must be so hungry, without any food to eat in this awful, cold place. She must have been so afraid, especially with the monster still out there.

There's some dried blood just above her top lip, coming from her nose, and her hair has grown about an inch since I last saw her.

She's wearing the same pink dress,which now looks too big for her and hanging loosely over her body, but she seems to have lost the flannel shirt that Hopper gave to her.

I wait until she's finished eating, and I ask if she wants more, but she refuses. I worry about her health, the toxic atmosphere's tolls on her body, how hungry she must have been.

I offer her some water, and she takes a few gulps and then returns the bottle to me.

She stares at the floor with a blank expression for a while, she must have had so many sleepless nights, if this place even _has_ what you would call night and day.

I admire her features, even though her cheeks seem a lot more hollow now. Her eyes a lot more tired.

I pull her back into my arms for a while, holding her close, attempting to warm her cold skin. "We should go, I don't want you staying here any longer than you have to," I whisper.

"Be careful," Eleven mumbles softy into my chest, "Demogorgan... Alive." She coughs, she shouldn't even be breathing this air.

My eyes widen, remembering that we aren't alone in here. I help her up, putting her arm over my shoulder and holding her by the waist. I would carry her if I could.

I help her out of the basement, and we walk as fast as we can through the the woods, heading back towards the gate.

As we walk through the trees, I hear a crunching noise like boots on leaves. Then I remember

 _Brenner and that girl_

I look over to Eleven who has her eyes squeezed shut, tears falling from her eyes. She must be in so much pain.

I muster up the confidence before I pull her up into my arms, hooking my arm under her legs and the other supporting her back.

I start running in the direction of the gate, ducking behind trees every time I hear a noise.

Eleven makes a pained sound and I really start to worry. _She's already falling apart, and it's happening in my arms._

The footsteps are getting closer, and eventually I give up on running and hide behind a large tree. I place Eleven down next to me, holding her close to me, attempting to ease her pain.

Tears continue to fall from her eyes and I frantically try to wipe them away, mumbling the words, "it's okay, don't cry."

After a short while I hear the two pairs of feet stomp past us.

"Twelve, I thought you said you knew where she is?" I hear Dr Brenner say, his voice muffled by his head gear.

I peak behind the tree, and I finally get to see the face of this girl. _Twelve._

She wasn't wearing a single piece of protective clothing, every part of her exposed to the toxic atmosphere.

Then I remember what she said, _I was born in there after all._

She has cold, icy blue eyes and long, straight platinum blonde hair. Her face is angular, her jaw extremely sharp and her eyes narrow. She is deathly pale, her skin like paper.

"She was there the other night. In that boy's basement. Mike Wheeler." She says, diverting her gaze to Brenner to give him a deathly glare.

"Well, she isn't there now. And if you don't find her, you can guarantee that your father won't survive another month," Brenner spits back.

Twelve spins back around, nearly catching a glimpse of me as I whip back around behind the tree.

"Fine," she says to Brenner, "I'll do everything I can to find your little science experiment."

Eleven and I hide behind the tree for a little while after they leave, and I can feel Eleven slowly becoming limp in my arms.

"Hey," I whisper, shaking her awake, "just stay awake a little longer. We'll be home soon."

I carry Eleven as I walk back towards the gate, her body growing heavy and her eye lids drooping. We eventually make it to the tree, but

"Where's the gate?"

 ** _A/N: Hello my lovely friends, I hope you're enjoying this so far. Also, please comment! And don't forget to follow me. I have some other pretty good stuff that would be worth reading. Thanks! Xx_**


	8. 006: The Monster

"Where is it?" I whisper, my voice broken and confused.

Eleven lifts her head, her droopy eyes looking to the tree in front of us.

"Gone," she whispers her voice so quiet I can barely hear her. Her voice is so broken and husky, I worry about what this air is doing to her.

"Yes," I reply, "it is."

I look around, hoping we're just at the wrong tree. But everything looks the same. This is definitely the place. I'm sure of it.

I walk around to the other side of the tree, setting Eleven down on the ground.

"Just stay here," I tell her, "I'll give you some water, but I'm just going to look around to find the gate. I'll be back, don't worry."

"Promise?" Eleven whispers.

"Promise."

I dig through my bag and eventually find the bottle of water and pass it to Eleven, also taking out a few Eggos for her to nibble on too.

"I won't be long," I tell her, and she nods weakly.

I begin walking away, looking back at her one last time before I disappear behind another tree. I sigh, taking in a huge breath of dusty, toxic air. I cough involuntarily, my throat burning as I do so. As I walk, I wipe my sweaty forehead, taking note of my surroundings, making sure I don't go too far.

I look around the side of different trees, checking for the distinct opening of the portal to my own world. I find nothing. Then, I hear a shrill scream from behind me in the distance, but it barely sounds _human_. Fear envelopes me, no, absolute _horror_ engulfs me as I remember that the Demogorgan is still _alive._

I stand there in shock, frantically looking around for the source of the sound, my eyes darting around in every direction. I hear it again, only louder. Then I hear a loud thud, then another, and another, each getting louder and louder. Sweat is dripping from my forehead and my whole body feels _numb._

Slowly, I turn around, and what I see leaves me in absolute _shock_.

 _Demogorgan._

I try to scream, to run, to do _anything_ but my body just won't move. Instead, I just stare at it's hideous faceless head, it mouth opening to reveal hideous teeth and that is when I _run._

I turn around and sprint for my life, the monster hot on my heels. I take a few random turns but this only draws the monster nearer. I scream, so loudly that I can hear my voice cracking and my ears start to ring.

" _Eleven! Hide!"_ I scream in hopes she'll hear me.

The Demogorgan starts to get tired, I know this because it's further behind me now, and soon I realise that it's no longer after me. But I know it will be back. I can hear it's loud footsteps deep in the dark woods behind me, and I hide behind another tree. I can hear it getting closer, but my legs just won't move. My heart won't stop racing.

I hear it approach the tree, and I attempt to still my breath. I'm such a _mouth breather_.

Then, I hear it's shrill scream, it sounds as though it's in agonising pain, and I peek behind the tree to see the situation unfold. Then I see _her_ , that girl of the Upside Down, accompanied by Dr Brenner, using her 'superpowers' to destroy the monster.

Her hand is outstretched in front of her, her fingers like claws and her wrist twisting around in a circular motion that looks as though she's trying to unscrew a pickle jar. I see the monster's neck _snap_ , and I realise just how powerful this _Twelve_ actually is.

Dr Brenner catches my eye, his own eyes widening so much I'm afraid his eyes will pop out of his head. He runs towards me and I try to run away, and he grabs me right when Twelve finishes off the monster.

I see the Demogorgan vaporise, just as it had when Eleven had tried to destroy it, and I know now that it's definitely dead, as it had no where else to go, and Twelve doesn't even look the slightest bit tired.

She straightens up her black sweater, and I notice that she is wearing baggy ripped jeans and worn out sneakers. She looks so rebellious.

"Let go of me, you bastard!" I scream at Brenner. As I struggle to get free of his grasp, Twelve whips her head around to look at me, her sleek blonde hair flicking up in the air behind her.

"Well, well, well," she says, her voice icy and smooth, "what do we have here?"

 ** _A/N: Hello again everyone. Idk if I'm happy with this chapter but it's okay I guess. It's a bit short for my liking but I really wanted it to end there (the chapter I mean) it's a good cliff hanger I reckon. Anyways, leave me some comments, I'd love to know what you think of this so far. Thank you! Xx_**


	9. 007: Twelve

Her eyes are like ice, her voice dripping with acid as she speaks, her skin is so pale, like paper, I'm scared it'll break if I were to touch it. Her sleek blonde hair almost flows like water in the breeze, her dark clothing matching her personality perfectly well.

 _"Michael Wheeler,"_ Twelve's voice was like acid as she spat my name, clearly disgusted by me being here. "I should have known it was you messing with my plans."

"First of all," I say, struggling to break free of Brenner's grasp, "how do you know me? And second, you talk like the most cliché villain I have ever met."

Twelve narrows her eyes at me and I glare back. "I'm not a villain!" she screams, "And I know more about you than you think. I'm far for powerful than your girlfriend, I was easily able to listen to your conversation with her over your supercom."

My face burns red at the word _girlfriend,_ and I'm about to retaliate when she steps towards me, her hand outstretched towards my throat.

" _Are you a Jedi?_ " I whisper.

"Are you kidding me?! Tell me where she is or I will be forced to kill you," she shouts, her voice strained and angry. She is the complete opposite of Eleven.

 _"Tell me!"_

I notice how angry she is becoming, and I try even harder to struggle free, but it's no use.

"I don't know!" I yell over her, Brenner's grip tightening around me as I struggle to run away, "I don't know! I don't know! If you haven't found her already, it means she's run away! I have no idea where she could have gotte-"

"SHUT UP!" Twelve is screaming at the top of her lungs, her face is so red and I realise just how _badly_ she wants Eleven. "I swear to God, if you don't tell me where she is I will _end you!_ "

I'm so scared.

This girl is a monster, screaming at the top of her lungs because she wants a girl not nearly as powerful as her. What would they want with Eleven now that they have a new weapon to play with?

"I swear on my _life,_ I have no idea where she-"

 _I can't breathe._

My throat feels as though it's on fire, like it's closing up and I cant seem to get any air through. I claw at my neck, attempting to remove whatever force is attempting to strangle me to death. I'm gasping for air but nothing is coming through, my lungs are _burning_ and I'm sure now that if I somehow survive this, death won't be as scary the next time around, because this is _worse_ than anything _imaginable_.

"You said you swear on your _life_ , so let's see if you were lying. It's not like we need you anyway," Twelve says as she strangles me, though I can barely hear her over the high pitched ringing in my ears.

My vision starts to blur but I can make out Twelve's face, her flaring nostrils, her red cheeks and her narrow icy eyes as she attempts to end my life.

Everything is going dark.

I give up on struggling.

My legs grow weak beneath me right before they give way, the only thing holding me up is Dr Brenner's tight grasp on me.

Then

A familiar voice

" _Leave Mike alone_."

I can only _just_ make out the silhouette of a small girl as she steps in front of me and somehow _throws_ Twelve against a tree, before falling to the ground.

 _Eleven_

Dr Brenner lets go of me and runs towards Eleven, embracing her and muttering things like "I missed you," and "Are you hurt?" and "I was so worried."

He picks and unconscious Eleven up from the ground and holds her in his arms, then, he looks back at me with a scowl before he turns to Twelve and says, his voice muffled by his headgear, "We're done here, let's go. We have her now, we can just leave the boy here. No one will know."

Twelve stands up and rubs the back of her head, scowling at Eleven as she nods in agreement, following Brenner with Eleven in his arms away.

I stand up from the ground in a spluttering mess, coughing and wheezing as I run after them. I sprint, screaming Eleven's name.

Twelve doesn't even look at me as she pushes me over with her _superpowers_ , knocking me down and leaving me a mess on the floor.

I try to stand up, but she pushes me down again and again until I can no longer see them.

"Eleven!" I yell out to her, "I'll make you safe, promise!" 

**_A/N: Hi everyone, I'm sorry this chapter is so short, I was hoping that it would turn out to be a little longer, but I guess this just gives me more time to write the next chapter. I hope you're all enjoying it so far! Please comment and vote, thank you! xx_**


	10. 008: Trapped

It's been a week.

At least I think it's been a week. You can't really tell when there is no such thing as day and night in a place like this.

It's been an awful week of surviving on a half eaten box of Eggos and messing around with my supercom, attempting to find a signal, a voice... _Anything_.

I can't breathe properly anymore, every time I try to scream it comes out as a broken crack, as though every time I spoke it was like a stick being snapped in half, but every time you snap it, the pieces get smaller and smaller, until I could barely even speak at all.

I coughed an awful lot, sometimes coughing up blood. Breathing in this air makes me feel as though my lungs are _on fire_ , every breath promising a step closer to suffocation.

I did a lot of wandering around, jumping every time I saw movement in a building. I noticed the black vines, the ones that wrap themselves around every structure in this dark opposite mirror-image of my town, are alive. Not just dead broken pieces of plant, but they grow back after they've been broken.

Quickly too.

I've been sleeping in my basement, where Eleven hid this whole time. Having to break the door open every time I tried to get back inside, my arms getting weaker and weaker every day that went by.

I spent a lot of time sitting by that tree, where the gate was, but no longer is. My days here are dedicated purely to searching for any means of escape.

 _How did Brenner manage to get out?_

I've asked myself this question at least a thousand times this week.

I've begun to wonder, has anyone missed me? Have my parents gone looking? Have Dustin, Will and Lucas looked for me yet?

 _Is Eleven okay?_

The last question has without a doubt conquered my panicked mind over the past week. She's all I think about, other than escaping to get to her, to save her...

Today is the eighth day.

It's been just over a week now.

I wake up and pull open my backpack with weak hands, rummaging through it to find _any_ signs of left over food.

 _Nothing._

I've finished all of the Eggos, and I haven't managed to find the water bottle I left with Eleven. Perhaps she took it with her? I couldn't tell in my dazed state after nearly being strangled to death by Twelve.

I stand up, dragging my weak legs along beneath me, and I use my whole body weight to push open the door once again. I throw myself against the door with a groan, my legs giving way when the door finally opened. I fell in a coughing heap on the dry dead grass outside, weakly pushing myself upright again.

I brush myself off, noticing the sticky slime has somewhat dried, leaving my clothes all stiff and scratchy. I start walking in the direction of the woods my feet aching and my mind hazy. I try to focus my mind on something, _anything_ , and I decide to just listen.

I listen to the sound of my worn shoes on the dry grass, the kind of crunching sound it makes. I count my steps as I listen to the cold breeze whiz past my numb ears, not really paying attention to my surroundings anymore, just the sounds and number of steps I'm taking.

My vision has become more blurred and I realise this is a result of dehydration. I'm surprised I'm not dead yet. I probably only have a few more days. I force myself into a slow jog, but at least it's faster than my tired walking pace. I make Eleven my motivation to keep going, even if I might die in here.

I have to find a way out. I just _have_ to.

 _For her._

Which means yet another day of searching for a way to escape. But as long as I end up with her in the end, I don't mind walking the entire length of the Earth a thousand times over. Even if my only source of oxygen is this toxic air.

I eventually make it to the edge of where the trees start, and I notice some trees have fallen down. There hasn't been any wind, how could they have fallen? I suppose anything could happen without reason in this cold opposite of my world. I walk for ages, noticing more fallen trees as I go, stopping to rest every once in a while.

I pay attention to the way my breath fogs up in front of me, the warm air escaping my lips and joining the colder outside air in tiny clouds.

I think I may have lost weight. I swear I would be able to feel the scratching of my stiff clothes on my ribs as I breathe if my body were not so numb from this cold.

I continue to walk, I think I may have been walking for a few hours, and eventually I come to a fence. A tall, chain-link fence that seems to tower over me. There's a hole in the bottom of the fence a few meters away, I stumble over and crawl through the hole, scraping my knee through a hole in my jeans from some stones on the ground as I make my way to the other side.

I get back up again, dusting myself off and catching my breath, and as I peer through the dead trees, I realise exactly where I am.

 _Hawkins Lab._

 ** _A/N: Hello everyone! I've finally managed to update, I'm sorry this chapter is a bit boring, but it was necessary, I promise! I'm also still working on 001, I've been rewatching the last episode of Stranger Things over and over to help me. It will be done soon. It'll be much better than it is now! Anyway, I'll see you all soon, I have big things planned! Goodbye xx_**


	11. 009: The Lab

I'm standing outside the entrance of Hawkins Lab, and I notice that the roof of the entrance has concaved in, fragments of the former shelter disintegrating an shattered. I cautiously step over each piece of broken ceiling, watching my shaky footing as I head inside.

I head inside the dark building, noticing more snaky black vines crawling up the fissured walls. It's deathly quiet as I make my way down the large and seemingly never-ending hallway, the only sound audible being my footsteps on the crumbling tiles.

It's dark, I have to squint to see, my vision already blurred from dehydration. I notice how doors have become unhinged, some only hanging by meager pieces of metal, swaying in the breeze that passes down the endless corridor.

As I continue to walk unsteadily down the wide hallway, I hear a sort of crackling sound coming from behind me. I swing my head around so fast I'm afraid me neck will snap, but when my eyes fix on the nothingness behind me, all that floods my mind is confusion.

I continue on walking, and inevitably, I hear the sound again. But this time, the crackling sound is accompanied by what sounds like a voice. It's a muffled sound, and my only guess is it must be coming from within my bag.

 _My supercom._

I swing my bag off of my shoulders so quickly that I lose balance for a second and find myself of the cracked tiles beneath my feet. I forget about standing up as I rummage through my bag to find my supercom at the bottom, which is seemingly, as I expected, the source of the strange sounds.

I put the device up to my ear expectantly, waiting for another voice, another sound, another _anything_. I wait and wait for what feels like forever when

" _M...ike! M-Mike!_ "

A girl. The voice is a girl. Eleven!

"Eleven? Is that you?" I ask weakly, my voice breaking with every syllable.

" _Mike, it's me!_ "

My face lights up at the sound of her voice. _She's okay_.

"Where are you?" I ask, my throat feels like it's on fire, every word that escapes my lips like acid in my mouth, the taste of blood has certainly made what feels like a permanent home in my mouth.

" _Bad place_." She replies, but she doesn't sound as panicked as she did when I asked her the same question last time.

"Can I get to you? How can I get out?"

" _Gate. I opened it. But..._ "

"But what?" I'm frantic now, holding on dearly to the hope that I can make it to her.

" _Monster,_ " is all she says.

I'm flooded with confusion. Didn't Twelve kill the monster? I saw her! But what if...

There's another monster.

My next question escapes my lungs more like a plead. I'm not sure who to, but a plead I hope will be fulfilled.

"Where is the gate? How can I get to you? God, Eleven I need to get to you!"

" _Down the hall, turn left. Run! The mo-n...ster!_ " her voice starts to break up, and I'm suddenly panicked. But I can't waste time.

I struggle to stand up, my legs wobbly beneath me as I clutch my supercom in my hands so tightly my knuckles turn white. I attempt to force myself into a jog when I hear a loud thumping sound behind me.

 _The monster._

The sound continues to get louder and louder and I feel as though I'm in one of those cliché horror movies, when the monster is drawing nearer and nearer and the victim stumbles and falls and eventually gets caught, but I can't think about that now. I have to get out. I have to get to Eleven. I start to run, attempting to ignore the searing pain in my legs as I sprint towards my escape. As I grow nearer and nearer towards _her_.

 _Down the hall, turn left. Down the hall, turn left. Down the hall, turn left._

I struggle to focus on my destination, even as I repeat it over and over in my mind, as I am distracted by the deafening footsteps of the monster getting closer. I slowly turn my head around to look behind me, and when my eyes meet the awful thing chasing me, I swear my heart seems to stop.

It's at least three times bigger than the Demogorgan. Faceless but has two piercing eyes on either side of it's head, if that even makes sense. It's arm extend to about 3 meters in front of it, and it's skin is black in colour.

 _It's terrifying_.

I force myself to run faster, and I eventually make it to the fork in the hall and turn left. I see it, the giant oozing hole in the wall that is the gate to my own world. I can only pray that the thing chasing me doesn't follow me inside.

I get closer, but so does the monster. It's hot on my heels and is ready to grab me. I sprint towards the gate and when I step inside I'm engulfed by darkness and slime. I continue to run, my feet sticking to the slippery ooze that covers the floor beneath me. At least I don't have to crawl this time.

I get to the end and I can see a light, and voices, and footsteps and people and I'm filled with utter joy when I hear her. When I hear my name escape her lips.

"Mike!"

 _ **A/N: Wooooo I finally updated! I feel like this chapter is a bit boring so I'll probably add some details here and there later on to make it more interesting, but I just wanted to post it as soon as possible so I wasn't keeping everyone waiting. I hope you enjoy! MILEVEN FEELS ARE COMING!**_


	12. 010: Escape

I can't even begin to explain the feeling flooding my body when her hand meets mine.

Eleven's hand is grasped around my own, pulling me out from the gate that leads back to the Upside Down. Back to that _thing_.

The feeling of her skin against mine after so long is euphoric, and when I escape from the sticky mess that is the gate, her eyes meet mine and this time she doesn't look afraid, she doesn't look as though she's about to wither away, she looks just as happy as I am.

Eleven's soft brown eyes are wide with joy, and it makes me feel absolutely ecstatic to know that I was missed, that someone was waiting for me too, and to know that, that someone is Eleven.

She pulls me into a tight hug, and although she's only holding me for a short time, I swear I can feel stars explode within me. She quickly lets go, her face flushed scarlet as she hastily grabs my cold hand and pulls me in the opposite direction of the gate, and now, there is worry in her eyes.

She says something to me, something I can't quite hear over the chaos of my surroundings, but when I read her lips my heart stops.

 _I can't close it! I'm drained!_

That's when I hear it.

Not her words, but something even more terrifying.

A powerful roar, then a loud thud, and I don't even have to glance behind me to know that I've been followed.

We run, faster than I'm sure my weakened legs can bear, but we don't have to run for long which I am greatly thankful for. Eleven pulls us under a table, pulling the tablecloth down a little further to conceal ourselves better. I finally get to have a good look at her, something I've been longing to do since she first disappeared, since even _I_ went missing only just over a week ago.

Her eyes aren't as calm as there were as she looks around frantically, and she's definitely put on a kilo or two since I last saw her, which I am extremely thankful for, since when I last saw her, she was stick thin and looked as though she was about to snap into two. (A/N: I'm Australian so if I got it wrong I'm very sorry, I wasn't sure if Americans measured weight in pounds or kilos so I kind of just stuck to what I know..) Her hair is still as long as it was when I last saw her, a few inches longer than when it was shaved, reaching just below her earlobes.

She's still holding on to my hand, so tightly in fact I'm worried my fingers will break, but I don't mind as long as it comforts her.

She diverts her gaze to my eyes, her expression still painted with worry. Her pinks lips are parted and I'm sure I can see tears welling up in her eyes, but it's hard to tell when the lights of the laboratory won't stop flashing.

"Mike!" She shout-whispers, her tone hasty and panicked, "supercom."

I'm confused for a moment but then I pass it to her, her small hand letting go of mine to hold the device in both hands. She looks at it for a moment, staring at it with a puzzled expression, but with the turn of a few dials and the press of a few buttons she seems as though she knows what she's doing.

"Dustin, Lucas, Will!" she says, speaking into the device, and I notice a trickle of blood escape her nose when I remember that she has to overcome the interference of the gate only metres away. She waits expectantly, and as I stare at her I can't ignore the searing pain throughout my body. I let out a yelp and El drops the supercom to hold me.

The positions me so I'm lying on her lap, and as she caresses my face with her small hands I instantly feels better. But even with her soothing touch I'm finding in hard to breathe, hard to focus, my body still in so much pain. I clutch at my stomach, attempting to stop the pain she has eased. Then, over the immense amount of overwhelming noise and chaos beyond our hiding place, we hear a crackling sound from the supercom.

" _H-hello? Who is this? Over_." _Dustin_.

" _Yeah, who's there, why does a girl have Mike's supercom? Over._ " _Will_.

" _Who's there? Do you know where Mike is? Over._ " _Lucas!_

It makes me so happy to hear all of their voices again. Eleven picks up the device and holds it up to her lips and says, "Eleven."

There's silence for a few minutes when an uproar of confused voices dominates the speaker on the device.

 _"Is it really you?"_

 _"You're not dead! Mike was right."_

 _"Where is Mike? Is he okay?"_

I can't help but smile at their concern. It's great that I have such good friends that care so much about me.

Eleven goes on to explain where we are, saying we're at "The Bad Place" and how I need help. She tells them that we'll meet them outside, in the forest, and how they need to get me to the hospital as soon as possible. She says all of this in small sentences, which is understandable since she was raised in a science lab.

The events that pass next are all so hazy.

El helps me up and out from under the table, being quick so we aren't noticed by anyone or _anything_. In my hazy state I manage to notice the amount of bodies on the floor, blood pooling around each one. This new monster certainly didn't waste any time in the disposing of each and every person in it's way. I strain my ears to hear the sounds of chaos flooding the room, and all I can manage to hear is screaming and loud footsteps. At one point, I look down at the ground beside me and see a body at me feet, the body belonging to one particular scientist I have certainly come to hate over time.

Dr Brenner is finally dead.

My worn sneakers feel soggy and I hope they don't get stained with blood, but it's probably too late for that anyway. Eleven pulls me outside and at the entrance there is a flood of people attempting to escape the chaos that is Hawkins Laboratory.

We manage to get out quickly, El wading through the mass amount of people and scientists trying to break free. We run a little faster, El mostly dragging me along behind her and I swear I can see my friends waiting for me in the distance in my blurry vision.

I look up and notice all of the stars that illuminate the sky, and I decide to just focus on that for a while. The next thing I know, I'm on the back of Lucas' bike, Dustin and Will riding along beside us through the trees, Eleven being on the back of Dustin's bike.

The whole ride to the hospital I notice Will constantly staring at Eleven with a puzzled expression, and I remember that they've never met before. She still has some dried blood beneath her nose, but she keeps her gaze directly ahead, staring at everything with curiosity and awe. Out of all of us, El has definitely spent the most time in the Upside Down. And now that she's out, she can finally enjoy the beautiful luminous lights that light up Hawkins after dark.

As she stares at everything, I can't help but stare at her. She's beautiful. And after I get better, I'll do everything I can to protect her from whatever comes for us next, because I know that none of us are safe anymore. Especially with that monster roaming Hawkins. This isn't the end.

 _ **A/N: Hello everyone! This chapter was soooo long which I'm really happy about. You guys aren't even ready for what's to come. More mileven feels are on the way!**_


	13. 011: Eleven

**_A/N: Ayyyye that title though, I've been waiting so long to do that. In the beginning of this story I was hoping I'd be able to do this and that it would make sense to do so. I'm so happy I got the chance to. Also, Italics means it's a dream :)_**

 _Desolation. All that surrounds me is desolation. A wasteland, a vast endless nothingness in every direction. I turn my head in every direction, looking around into the never-ending void._

 _But then I see something. Or rather, someone. I can see a figure in the distance, and I squint to see who it is. I can't see their face as I try to run towards them, but as I get closer I realise that the figure belongs to a girl._

 _My hair whips at my face in the cold breeze as I run towards the girl, hoping and praying that it's who I think it is._

 _My arms are outstretched towards her, but as I get closer, I notice that her hair is far longer than that of the girl I was hoping for it to be, the long sleek locks being ash blonde in colour._

 _I pull my arms back towards me and stand completely still, and as she turns my way I notice her piercing gaze has locked me in place._

 _Her ice cold eyes pierce deep into the very depths of my mind, I feel as though each fragment of my being is become undone, as though she is untying knots and learning each and every one of my deepest and darkest secrets, all through an icy gaze which she holds for what feels like forever._

 _My breath quickens when she says something, and although she is only standing metres away, I cannot hear a single word that escapes her lips._

 _She lifts her hand so that it is level with my throat, and even though she is not touching me, when she balls her hand into a fist my breathing_

 _Stops._

 _I'm choking, gasping for air, clawing at my throat as I realise we've been here before. This girl is Twelve. And she will be my very undoing._

 _I squeeze my eyes shut as I grimace at the pain piercing my neck, and when I open them, I am in the arms of someone all too familiar._

 _Eleven._

 _She is clothed in a silky white gown that reaches the floor, she looks far too vivid, far too angelic for any of this to even begin to seem real._

 _Her touch is warm, but for some reason she is panicked and shaky. She's holding on to me a little too hard, a little too tight as I realise I still can't breathe._

 _El leans up so her lips are level with my ear, and she kisses my cheek, the feeling of her soft lips against my skin sending shivers down my spine._

 _She moves upwards so that her breath is warm on my ear, and the words that escape her lips next make me wish I was dead already._

 _"Save me, Mike."_

 _Eleven becomes limp as her arms fall to her sides, and I'm suddenly not choking anymore and I can finally move again. I catch her before she hits the ground, her body far too light for her to even_ make sense.

 _I shaking as I caress her face, whispering her name as she lies still on my lap as I kneel on the ground. My tears fall onto her cheeks and I wipe them away hastily._

 _Her eyes are wide but her breathing has stilled and I'm suddenly screaming, my shrieks so shrill I'm worried I'll make myself deaf._

 _"Eleven!"_

 _I can't lose her again._

 _"El!"_

 _Not like this. Not like this. Not like this._

 _I wish Twelve had just killed me when she had the chance because this is worse than anything I've ever had to live through before, and I'm not even sure I'll survive this._

 _This is killing me. I'm losing her and all I can do is scream and hold her in my arms and I'm so afraid to face a world without her again because I'm so in love with her, and maybe I'm too young to even fathom what love could be but I would rarer die than live without her._

 _Please kill me._

 _I can't do this._

 _Eleven, please don't go._

 ** _A/N: Wow this chapter was really intense I'm so sorry guys... Mike really loves her oh gee. I think I actually cried writing this. The next chapter won't be as sad but there'll be more mileven soon xx_**


	14. 012: Hospital

_Lights_.

I open my eyes with a sharp intake of breath only to be blinded by the bright lights above my hospital bed. I raise my hand to wipe my eyes, tears leaking from them rapidly as they roll down my face and on to my hospital gown, which is really uncomfortable.

I vaguely remember how I ended up here, in this uncomfortable bed with tubes snaking out of my arms and machines beeping at my sides. I look up and I'm met with the eager eyes of all of my friends, Dustin, Will and Lucas... But, to my dismay and worry, no El.

I'm suddenly hit with panic and I attempt to sit up hastily which causes my head to spin and my heart to pound against my chest even harder than before.

I grab my head with a shaky hand before I am stabilised by the comforting hands of my friends, who keep me from fainting as in gather my composure. They're all speaking, though I can't make out what they're all saying. My ears are ringing, the only thing I can really hear is the beeping of machines by my bed.

Soon, as my friends come to realise that I'm still gathering myself, they quiet down and wait patiently for me to collect my thoughts.

They're all staring at me wide eyed and worried, their expressions never changing from that if concern or curiosity. They must have seen me crying in my sleep. I'm suddenly so embarrassed, I pull the covers over my face, and I can hear them all laughing as they realise how embarrassed they must be.

As I manage to recognise each of their voices, I attempt to speak, to say something, to ask if _she's_ okay, but every time I open my mouth my throat starts to burn.

Lucas notices this and places a hand on my shoulder, his dark eyes worried. "Take it easy, man," he says, his voice comforting and kind, "the doctors said your breathing was totally oh of whack. Like you'd been breathing in toxic gasses or something."

He's not wrong.

"Eleven told us everything," Dustin goes on to explain, and the sound if her names sends shivers all throughout my body. "But we didn't tell the doctors anything. We just said we had no idea where you'd gone off to."

I'm thankful for that.

Will is the one to speak next, his small voice quiet yet happy and eager to have input in the conversation. "Eleven or.. El, I guess... She's staying with Hopper. He's taking care of her. She seems really nice."

 _You're right about that,_ is what I want to say, _she's the sweetest and kindest person you'll ever meet. She wouldn't dare hurt anyone unless the ones she cares about are in danger she's so sweet and beautiful and-_

"Mike!" My mother shrieks as she bursts into the room, her arms out wide and ready to embrace me. Nancy follows behind her, a huge smile planted on her face, my dad is here too, and even he is smiling. Holly must be with a babysitter, as she isn't here now.

"We were so worried, we looked everywhere for you and you were no where to be found! Chief Hopper was worried sick, all of your friends were searching everywhere-" my mum stops in her tracks as Nancy pushed past her to hug me.

She hugged me so tightly I thought I was going to break in two, but then, she loosens her grasp a little and says so quietly only I can hear her, "Eleven is here to see you."

My speechless lips curve up into a smile so wide that I'm sure that I'll never be able to stop, as this smile has surely made a permanent home between my cheeks.

Then, following behind the chief is a beautiful Eleven, who is clothed in a pretty blue dress with a headband to match. I don't think if ever seen something so gorgeous in my life.

She's beaming so wide that it feels like I'm staring into a mirror, and I sit up and she runs over to me. I pull her into my arms and start to sob, remembering my nightmare and realising that it never happened, and that El is here and safe in my arms and I don't think I'll ever let her go ever again.

I hold her for such a long time that when I peer over her shoulder, all of my friends and family start to leave the room, exchanging with me some knowing looks, allowing us some privacy to just be with one another.

Then, once everyone had left, I pull back to look at her and for the first time since I woke up I get to say my first words. So I choose them carefully, and eventually I decide to tell her what I've been longing to say for far too long.

"El," I whisper, my voice hoarse and burning in my throat.

"Yes, Mike?" She says, her small voice so sweet like honey.

"I'm in love with you."

At first, she seemed confused, but then she asks me, "what does love mean?"

I laugh a bit and then say, "love is indescribable... If I had to define it, I would say it's one of the most amazing feelings in the world, and only one special person can give you that feeling. It's like butterflies in your stomach or like a fire in your heart. An you crave it all the time, you crave that person because you love them so much... That's what I feel when I'm with you."

Eleven's face lights up, a smile growing between her cheeks and her eyes are so bright they could light up the whole world, my whole life.

I'd missed her smile so much while she was gone, I missed her touch, her voice... Everything. And I never want to lose her again. I'll protect her with my life.

We talk a little more for a while and she tells me how she's staying with Hopper and how he bought her all of these new pretty clothes and how she's never had anything like that before. She tells me how she missed me and I tell her how I missed her too, and then her face hardens as though she was about to deliver some awful news, and my heart skips a beat.

She looks at me with worried eyes and says, "Mike, we need to close the gate," she pauses for a moment before continuing, "I'm scared... To go alone..."

I grasp her hand and I say, "I'll come with you! If you're scared I'll be there to protect you the entire time!"

But then

"Twelve... She's alive."

And those three words are what send knives through my very soul. Those three words remind me that we aren't safe until she is gone. That girl. The one who haunts my nightmares. The girl who is chaos itself. I will have to stop her.

I will have to protect Eleven from _Twelve_.

 ** _A/N: HELLO! I've been trying to stick to a proper writing schedule but my life is so messed up at the moment... I promise I'm trying. Anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter!_**


	15. 013: Kicking Ass

I'm let out if hospital after another two days of being bedridden, but at least I am finally getting my voice back, so it doesn't burn every time I attempt to speak.

My parents want me to stay home, but Nancy, who I trust has an idea of what I went through and what I now need to do, suggested to my parents that I go and see my friends for a while and go for a bike ride.

My mum protests saying, "but they can just come and see Mike here. We've barely seen him! He's been missing for over a week!"

Nancy shakes her head, "he needs to go outside. He'll have his friends with him. It's not like he'll disappear again. He needs to go out and have some fun. After all, look what disappearing has done to him. He ended up in hospital for goodness sake. He needs to get out."

And at that, my mother is defeated. She steps back, nodding her head at looking at the floor. "You're right," she says, my dad standing mute at her side, "he needs to be with his friends _outside_. But be back before dark!"

I ride down the empty road on my bike, the cold breeze making my hands feel numb and my nose starts to drip. As I ride towards Dustin's house, I think of seeing Eleven again, who in worried for even though she's safe with Hopper.

Dustin and Lucas told me that they'd managed to convince Hopper of letting Eleven come with us into town to explore. Which is partially true, since we are... _Exploring_ of sorts.

I get to Dustin's house and knock on the hard wooden door, and he immediately opens it, his face plastered with a giant, toothless smile.

"Who's ready to kick some science experiment ass?" He says, his curls falling into his eyes from underneath his cap. I can't help but smile at how keen he is.

He takes another look at me and frowns, "Mike, you've got the worst dark circles under your eyes. Have you slept at all since you woke up in hospital? You're kind of pale too."

He's right, I haven't slept at all since I last saw El. I was so afraid, so worried I wouldn't dare shut my eyes. Because I know if I fail to protect her, I could lose her forever this time.

"I'm fine," I say with my most convincing smile, "let's go get the others."

We pick up Lucas and Will, the latter seemed to be more afraid than even myself. Will had it worse than me while he was in the Upside Down. He had no left of Eggos for the first few days, or even a supercom to communicate with. But what he did have was a Demogorgan hot on his heels the whole time, and when he got caught, he was never the same again.

We ride to the chief's house and knock on the door, well, I knocked on the door while everyone else stood with knowing smiles behind me, giggling and smirking as it waited patiently for Hopper to answer.

Eventually he opened the door, and he gave us an intimidating look. "Now," he says, coming out from behind the door, "if anything happens to her, you'll have _me_ to deal with."

We all nod quickly, so much so that I start to get dizzy. Then from behind Hopper, comes out a much smaller-than-him Eleven, who is dressed in a simple pink sweater and jeans. She looks so innocent and so cute.

I run up to her and hug her, holding her so tightly I'm scared she'll snap in two. So I loosen my embrace and lean back to look at her. She looks scared out of her wits and it's almost like looking into a mirror.

I can almost feel Dustin, Lucas and Will snickering and smiling behind me, but Hopper's face is far different when he looks down at Eleven and I.

"Is something wrong?" He says, placing a hand on Eleven's shoulder.

"No," I say.

"No," Eleven repeats, looking back up at me.

We say goodbye to the Chief and as soon as he shuts the door, I turn to my friends and force a smile, my voice dripping with as much confidence as I can muster and say, "Let's go and kick some ass."

 ** _A/N: Hi everyone, this chapter is so short and boring I'm so sorry... I'm super busy lately so I'm really finding it hard to actually sit down and just write as much as possible. I'm actually on the bus on the way to school now so yeah. Anyways I hope you're all well. Please vote, comment and follow me, I would love to hear your feedback! xx_**


	16. 014: Ruins

It feels amazing to finally be able to ride around with El on the back of my bike again.

Even though we're riding into 'battle' I guess, like knights on horses and wizards and elves from Dungeons and Dragons, it leaves me feeling giddy to have her arms around my waist again.

I notice as we ride along the road and down the street that Will keeps on looking at her again, and I feel a pang of jealousy hit me, but I quickly brush it off, remembering that Eleven _is_ the girl that saved Will's life and he is in fact entitled to being curious about her.

But even still, I'm jealous that someone other than myself is able to admire her... I know it sounds awful but... I really care about her. Like, a lot. And it kind if worried me to think I might have some competition.

I shake the thoughts from my mind, I'm definitely just over thinking this. They barely know eachother, but I guess I'm just scared of losing her again.

We eventually make it to the beginning of the woods, hastily jumping off of our bikes and running in the direction of Hawkins Lab.

I'm so scared, I'm _so freaking scared_ of what might come next. I'm so afraid of facing her, so afraid of facing _Twelve._ I think what I'm more afraid of, though, is losing El once again. I know that Brenner is dead, and there's no one left who could possibly want Eleven, but I'm still scared out of my mind to face what might come.

What if El becomes so drained that her body can't handle it? What if she- what if...

"Stop it Mike!" I say aloud, shaking my head and waving my hands. Everyone turns to look at me, there faces dripping with confusion and worry.

I had almost forgotten that they were there, I had just been so lost in my own thoughts if completely lost track of everything.

I give everyone a convincing smile, and everyone just continues in walking like nothing had happened.

I look down at the ground, watching my new sneakers make footprints in the damp dead leaves as I walk, trying to focus my mind on something other than how weak I am. But like I said... It's not getting hurt I'm afraid of.

It's losing _her_.

Eleven catches up to me and grabs my hand, holding on to me tightly, as though to comfort me.

"Are you afraid?" She whispers so only I can hear her.

"No! Not at all. I'm not afraid of anything!" I lie, looking up at her and putting on my most confident grin.

She stares at me in disbelief. "Mike," she says, "friends don't lie."

I give in. She's right, she always has been. Those words, "friends don't lie", mean so much to me now. How can I lie to her?

"I... I am afraid. I'm just scared I won't be able to protect you if we come across the monster or... Or," I pause, "or Twelve."

"Don't worry," Eleven whispers with a small smile. It comforts me to see her smile. It comforts me to see her happy.

We continue to walk, Dustin, Lucas and Will walking a few paces in front of El and I. They're all talking about something completely unrelated, and it bothers me to see them so calm. Am I the only one who knows what we could really be getting ourselves into?

I try to hear their conversation... D&D, Star Wars, that time when Eleven broke Troys arm. Both Eleven and Will seem intrigued by the last one, Will's eyes wide in disbelief and awe, and El's lips curved up into a smile.

As we continue on walking for what feels like a lifetime, we make it to a fence. In the sky, through the trees, we can see white smoke, and from what I learnt in science class, white smoke means something has finished burning.

"Hawkin's Lab went up in flames," Lucas observes, pointing in the direction of the laboratory.

"It's not burning anymore," I say.

"At least we don't have to worry about mad scientists like Dr Brenner anymore," Dustin says confidently, a smile on his face.

I notice Eleven looking at the ground at the sound of Dr Brenner's name, and I remember that even though he probably wasn't the best father, he was still the man that raised Eleven.

I hold her hand more tightly, just as she had done for me, and give a small smile. She smiles back half heartedly, and at that, we all continue to make our way around the fence to find a way in.

When we make it around the opposite side, there is a huge hole in the fence that is blocked up by yellow police tape. We all duck underneath to get inside, and when we do, we see the entire building in _ruins_.

The roof has concaved inwards, walls crumbled down and the entire pavement is fissured, cracks snaking through the concrete and asphalt, reminding me of the snaky black vines the strangle every structure in the Upside Down.

We all continue to walk through the chaotic scene cautiously, stepping over large pieces of broken pavement and bits of plaster from the walls and ceiling.

We manage to get 'inside', if that's what you can even call it. I look back at Eleven who had blood dripping from her nose and I realise that she must be doing everything in her power to keep what's left of the ceiling and walls from falling in on us as we are oblivious to watching our step.

I speak quietly, addressing my friends as I say, "guys, just be careful where you step. Eleven's trying to keep the walls from falling on us."

They all nod in response, turning back around and visibly taking for care in where they place their feet. Eleven leads us down what's left of the corridor, the same one I sprinted down when I was running from the monster in _that place_.

Everything is charred, the air is smoky and I can't help not to cough. My lungs start to burn and I realise I haven't fully recovered from the atmosphere in the Upside Down. Will is visibly coughing more than most of us as well, and I decide that maybe I will never really get better if Will hasn't even recovered yet, when his time in that place was at least six months ago.

We go down the hall and turn left, and what we come across and a blank fissured wall, absolutely no gate in sight.

Eleven looks as perplexed as I feel, and in a small voice she whispers, "where is it?"


	17. 015: Save Me

We all look around in confusion, Eleven looking the most panicked of all of us. She keeps repeating the words: "where is it? Where is it? Where could the gate have gone?"

I try to think. Maybe it never moved. Maybe it was closed.

Suddenly it hits me.

"Twelve," I say loudly, "maybe she closed it."

Dustin, Will and Lucas all look at me in confusion.

"This girl... Twelve," Will starts, his voice shaky and I can tell he's just as afraid as I am, "she has... _Superpowers..._ Like Eleven. Right?"

"Yes," I reply, answering all of their unspoken questions. Not just Will's. "Twelve... She's powerful. Even more powerful than Eleven. She killed the Demogorgan. She was... Born in the Upside Down."

Even Eleven is surprised at my last statement.

I continue explaining, "I heard her say it. When I was in the woods looking for Eleven a few weeks ago, I heard her talking to Dr Brenner about opening the hate to get Eleven out. She said she was born there, in that place. I was shocked at first... How could that make any sense? But she's so powerful... And she can survive in the Upside Down without anything to protect her."

Everyone is listening intently, absorbing every word like it was their last supply of oxygen. I can't blame them. A girl with stronger superpowers than even Eleven, who was born and can survive with ease in the Upside Down? That's the stuff of sci-fi movies.

"What's she like? I mean El told us how she tried to kill you but... Wasn't that because Brenner told her to? Or I she really that heartless?" Lucas asks with wide eyes and a tremor in his voice.

"She's pure chaos," I say, my voice getting quieter, "she's like a walking storm. She's terrifying. She could kill us with the click of her finger."

Now, everyone looks terrified, but El is the only one who isn't surprised. God only knows what Twelve did to her while I was gone.

Eleven starts to walk in the opposite direction, clearly distracted by something. We all follow her gaze, wondering what on Earth, or even... What in the _Upside Down_ has caught her attention at such a time.

She points to the other end of the hall, and we all look to where her finger is directed to, and I swear I can _feel_ everyone's shock rise up from the goosebumps on their skin and into the air.

 _The monster._

Only, it isn't chasing us. It isn't looking at us. It hadn't even notice us because...

It's dead.

Gone. Dead on the ground in a pool of black sticky slime which I assume is blood. We all approach it cautiously, wondering how on Earth this could have happened. And I realise that maybe, _Twelve_ , on her way out after closing the gate, also managed to kill this beast.

"We gotta get out of here," says Dustin frantically, "she could still be here. And if she's powerful enough to kill _that_ ," he motions to the dead monster at our feet, "then I don't even wanna think about what she'll do to us if she finds us here."

"He's right," Lucas says, "we should go. She already did El's job for her so let's just get out of here."

I stand still, reading everyone's expressions with narrowed eyes. Dustin looks as though he's about to make a run for it and Lucas looks as though he's ready to follow him. Will is the only one with a neutral face, well, only as neutral as you can get in a situation like this. And El is looking at me with wide eyes, but she doesn't look like she going anywhere.

I make my decision.

"We have to find Twelve," I say confidently, and at those 5 words, everyone gawks at me in horror. But I continue explaining myself, "we need to find our what her motives are. We don't even have to approach her directly, but if we find her, we can hide and watch what she does. My mum always says that actions speak louder than words. We'll just spy on her."

Everyone nods but Lucas doesn't seem to like my plan. "And what if she sees us? Or if she finds us first?" He asks.

"We have someone with telekinesis on our side. Not only that, but it's five against one," I carry on explaining.

"You even said yourself that she could kill us all with the click of her finger. She's too strong."

Lucas is right as usual. I did say that.

"She wants us anyway. She hates me, probably wants to kill me even if we leave now. What have we got to lose if we go looking for her? At least this way, we have _chance_ ," I say, trying to persuade them.

El looks at me with a small smile, and I grin back. At least I have one friend on my side, even though it wish she was far more than that.

Dustin and Will step forward, "he's right Lucas," Will states, "what have we got to lose?"

"Our lives!" Lucas insists.

"We might lose them anyway if we don't at least try," Dustin says.

Lucas finally gives in and we start walking back the way we came, to the right, down the hall. I notice that everyone still looks kind of shaky, but I can't say I'm not quivering myself.

We make it to the entrance and start to look around the perimeter of the lab. We find nothing so we duck back under the police tape and out into the woods again. We search around, finding nothing.

"She isn't here," Dustin calls out to everyone, "maybe she ran off."

We start to head back, when we hear the crunching of leaves far off in the distance. We're at least half a mile from the lab now.

We all duck behind trees as the sound get closer, Eleven with me and everyone else hiding by themselves.

I peak behind the tree, staying as quiet as possible, when I catch a glimpse of whatever was coming towards us.

A girl.

Long, sleek blonde hair. Pale skin, black clothes and blood dripping rapidly from her nose and ears.

 _Twelve_.

She's a quite a few metres away, leaning against a tree, tears falling from her eyes like raindrops as she slides down the side of the tree to sit on the ground.

She's sobbing loudly, her hands in her hair, and I decide this is the moment for me to step out and talk to her. Eleven protests, following behind me and tugging at my sleeve.

I walk over to Twelve and when she notices us, her eyes widen with anger and she grabs Eleven by the throat.

 ** _A/N: whoahhh what a cliffhanger. Mike really stuffed up this time._**


	18. 016: Loss

I can see the anger in Twelve's eyes.

I can see the fear in Eleven's.

I can see the confusion in the eyes of all of my friends as they emerge from their hiding places.

And I can't even begin to describe what I'm feeling.

I'm frozen in place, numb as watch Twelve attempt to end Eleven's life, just as she had done to me, only this time

 _It's all my fault_.

I'm so naive! How could I be so stupid?

The blood from Twelve's nose drips onto the ground like crimson raindrops, and I realise she must be drained after not only closing the gate, but killing the monster too.

Suddenly, a strong force pushes Twelve back against a tree, in fact, it pushes us all to the ground.

I get up and run to Eleven who is coughing and sputtering on the ground, blood dripping from her nose and I hold her close and stroke her hair and telling her that she's going to be okay.

I look down and see that there is already bruising around her throat, and I feel a pang of guilt hit me.

"I'm so sorry," I whisper, stroking her cheek gently, "I'm so sorry, El this is all my fault!"

"No," she replies, her voice husky and strained, "No, Mike."

"It is! I'm so sorry!" I squeeze my eyes shut and I can feel cold wet tears rolling down my cheeks. I'm so stupid, so weak.

I look up to see my friends gawking at me in horror, Will wiping his nose with his sleeve as he looks at Eleven with a puzzled expression.

I'm still holding Eleven as they all walk over hesitantly, then sitting down around us, Dustin rubbing El's back and attempting to soothe her. Lucas looks at me, studying my expression, while Will just stands over us, his eyes trained on Eleven.

I hear Twelve stand up behind me, and I leave Eleven with the others as I walk over to Twelve. I'm shaking, fearful that I might not ever get to hold El again, I might not ever get to be with my friends again. But I have to do this.

I stand in front of Twelve, tears streaming down my face as I say, " _please,_ don't hurt them... If you're going to take one of us, kill me!"

I stare into her ice cold eyes, slowly watching as they start to melt with red hot rage. "You're right," she says, her voice drowned in acid, "it's _your_ fault! It's because of you that Dr Brenner is dead and now I have no one left to help my dying father! Brenner was the only one with the medication he needed! I should _end_ you right now!"

"Just make it quick, Twelve," I say, turning to Eleven, "and let me just have _one last look_ at El before I go."

I stare into Eleven's dark eyes, which are by now welling up with tears.

" _Goodbye El_."

I turn back around to Twelve, my eyes diverted to the ground. I can hear my friends screaming their protests, Eleven is sobbing loudly, but I just ignore it. If I'm going to die, and there's nothing I can do about it, at least my friends will be safe because Twelve will have what she wants. She'll have me dead for all I've done to her.

" _My name isn't Twelve,_ " she says, her words leaving me frozen in ice, "my name is Lilith Daniels and I _will not_ let you take my identity away from me."

I look up at her apologetically, "I-I didn't know," I say, stuttering what I hope aren't my final words.

"No, you just thought I was a monster, didn't you? Just like everyone else! It's all my mother's fault! It's her fault I'm like her with my... My _abilities_. She opened the gate the week of my birth and did the stupid thing of going inside! It's her fault I'm a monster! And it's yours that I'm going to lose the one person who ever cared about me!"

I feel so sorry for the girl in front of me. She's utter chaos. Living, breathing _chaos_.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, trying to calm her down.

" _Sorry?_ What makes you think that one word is going to fix all of this?"

"I was hoping you'd forgive me."

" _Forgive you?_ "

"You know, forgiveness... When you accept someone's mistakes and try and understand where they're coming from."

Twelve looks back at a sobbing Eleven on the ground behind me. "You're right," she says, her voice quieter now, "you were only trying to save the girl you love."

And at that, she turns around and walks away.

 _ **A/N: hi everyone, I'm not sure if I like this chapter but yeah... It's not over yet!**_


	19. 017: Home

We're all biking back to my house, Eleven on the back of my bike, her whole body shaking as she grips onto me.

She leans her cheek on my back and it's comforting to know that she came out of this okay. Well, it's far more than comforting.

We're all a little shook, a little frightened, but we'll be okay. No one speaks the whole way back to my house, except for El, who leans forward at one point and whispers in my ear, "you saved me."

In my heart I know that isn't true, she saved herself by pushing Lilith away with a surprising amount of force, but I guess, in the end, it was me who got rid of her. But still, I didn't do much.

We make it to my house, sneaking in through the basement door, leaving our bikes outside. We all step inside, our footsteps shaky and our mouths zipped shut.

We sit in the sofa for a whole in silence, contemplating everything that just happened. El never let's go of my hand, her grip on me tight and anxious.

I'm the first to speak, "so," I start, my voice shaky and quiet, "it's all over."

Dustin and Lucas nod, El and Will doing nothing. "I mean, El is home, the hate is closed, Brenner is dead and Twelve is gone," I continue, faking a smile and an upbeat tone.

Eleven looks up at me and smiles halfheartedly. I smile back, looking into her dark eyes that are still wide with fear.

Then, I hear a knock on the front door from upstairs and I decide to investigate, even though my Mum is up in the kitchen anyway. "Stay here," I say to everyone, and they all nod.

El is hesitant to let go of my hand. "I'll be back," I whisper.

"Promise?" She asks weakly.

"Promise."

I make my way upstairs and find Hopper standing in the kitchen, talking to my mum. She turns to look at me, a smile on her face when she meets my eyes. "Mike!" She says happily, "I didn't realise you were home yet! My goodness you're so pale! Are you alright sweetheart?"

I nod with a smile, diverting my gaze to Hopper. He smiles at me and says, "is she alright?"

I nod again, and Hopper diverts his eyes to just past my shoulder when I feel a cold hand slip into mine. I look behind me and find Eleven right next to me, her hands holding fast to my own.

"Would it be okay if I spent the night here? Maybe a few days?" She says in a small voice.

Hopper looks to my mum hesitantly, who then looks at me.

"I want to be with Mike," El continues, and I smile at the two adults in front of me.

"Will she be alright here?" Hopper asks my mum.

"I suppose, but only for a few days..." My Mum says, looking to me, "I know you must have missed her when you... Disappeared... So I'll allow it, she wants to be with you anyway," she says with a small smile, and I grin right back, mouthing a "thank you" back at my mum.

Eleven and I head back downstairs, her hand still in mine, and when we get back down to the basement, we see Dustin, Lucas and Will gathering their things and heading for the door.

"Where are you guys going?" I ask them.

Dustin looks to me with a smile, "we're giving you two some alone time."

Lucas winks at us and starts to head out the door with a wave. Then, Will waves at us and says, "bye Eleven."

El looks a little caught off guard but then she waves back with a small, "bye Will."

I feel a little jealous but it's only a polite goodbye, right?

After everyone has left, I notice it's starting to get a little late. Then, my mum comes downstairs to announce that dinner is ready. I ask Eleven if she's hungry, to which she replies, "not really..." And I remember how little she must have eaten in that place, which must have really messed with her appetite.

I decide to stay with her and decline my mum's invite to the dinner table. We sit on the sofa together for a little while, and the entire time we're together I just can't take my eyes off of her.

Eleven glances up at me every now and then, her dark eyes sparkling in the dim light. I study her face, the curves and angles of every feature, and I decide that her eyes are my new favourite colour and the curve of her lips are my new favourite shape.

She's so sweet, so small, so beautiful and I wonder how I got so lucky to know someone as amazing as her.

Eleven looks up me, her eyes glistening as she says, "I remember how you told about love. Like butterflies in your tummy."

I nod, recalling our conversation in the hospital, "yeah, it does feel a bit like that."

"Mike?" El asks quietly, her cheeks flushed scarlet.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."


	20. 018: Dance

El and I decide to stay up late so that I can show her Star Wars.

For the entire movie, she looks thrilled, her hand never letting go of mine as we sit side by side on the living room sofa, listening to her gasp every time she sees a lightsaber or someone using 'the force'

By the end of the movie, I can tell that she's entertained. She has a huge smile on her face, her expression seeming to be the fuel of every bright star shining above our house.

I love it when she smiles like that.

I smile back, catching her eye, and she grins at me excitedly. "Am I a Jedi?" She asks enthusiastically.

I can't help but smile even more. Perhaps she is. She can manipulate objects without even touching after all. Maybe she even has the force!

"Maybe," I say happily, "I think you'd make a great Jedi!"

Eleven's smile only grows wider, her cheeks pink and her eyes sparkling. She's so damn beautiful, especially when she's this happy.

"What would you like to do now? It's only 7 o'clock, we could watch another movie if you like," I ask her.

She thinks for a moment, then looks up at me, her cheeks flushed scarlet and it's probably the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

"Snowball," she whispers, and I just look at her confused.

Snowball? The dance was months ago. I remember sitting at a table by myself. I didn't ask anyone to the dance, I wanted to keep my promise to El, even though she never came...

"Mike?" El whispers, her grip tightening on my hand, "are you sad?"

I shake my head, smiling, "no. I just... The Snowball is gone El, it happened while you were gone. It's not your fault, but I was just thinking about how much I missed you while I watched everyone else dance."

Eleven's eyes seem to become darker with regret as she listens to my words. I suddenly feel terrible. Then, I have an idea.

"We could have that dance we both missed out on if you like! We can go down to the basement and I'll teach you how!" I say every word with a grin on my face.

El looks pleased, nodding enthusiastically.

"Okay, let's go then!" I say, leading Eleven down the stairs and into the basement. I switch on the light which I realise my dad must have replaced while I was missing, since it smashed when El first contacted me when she was in the Upside Down.

I stand in the middle of the room with El standing in front of me, and I start to show her how to stand and where to place her hands.

"Okay, so this hand goes in mine," I say, holding up her left hand in my right, "and this hand goes on my shoulder. And my hand goes on your waist." I place my hand on Eleven's waist, and I can feel my face starting to burn up.

"O-okay, now, just follow my steps. I'll go slow, okay?"

El nods and I smile at her.

I move my feet, stepping backwards, forwards, in every way we were taught how to at school before the dance.

The entire time El's eyes are focused on her feet, her expression concentrated and her focus never fading. I for one can't take my eyes off of her. She's so focused, trying so hard not to muck up, and it's adorable.

We dance for ages, and eventually Eleven gets the hang of it, and instead of staring at her feet, she looks up at me instead.

I hum a tune to go with our dance, and Eleven seems to enjoy it. We dance and dance and dance for what seems like forever, and I wish I could just preserve this moment for all eternity, with Eleven's hands in mine and my hand around her waist, our feet moving in time as I hum a tune to our steps.

I've never felt happiness like this in my life. I've never felt so in love with anyone before.

I've never had someone as incredible as Eleven.

 _ **A/N: Hello everyone! So this is going to be the final chapter of Part 1, I would just like to thank everyone for reading this story and supporting me! Part 2 will be coming soon! Thank you everyone! xx**_


	21. 019: Empty

_**A/N: YIPPEE! I was able to update super early! I'm so glad I was able to, it just worked out really well because I got the plot all sorted pretty quickly, and the first chapter got done sooner than I thought! So thank you all for being so patient, please enjoy! (Warning: There is talk of mental illness and suicide so if you are sensitive to these things please do not read)**_

 **1 YEAR LATER**

I don't know how it happened.

We were all having such a good year. El finally started getting the education she deserved, instead if being experimented on by scientists in a lab, she started being homeschooled by Joyce, learning about numbers and maths and letters and so much more. She's having so much fun, her curiosity running even more wild than before. She'd even started being able to manage her powers better, being able to use them for longer without becoming too drained.

Chief Hopper has been looking after Eleven too. She's been living with him for ages, he's practically her father now, which I guess kind of makes Joyce like her mum, since Hopper and Joyce have been dating for a little while now. They all seem really happy, and Will seems thrilled that he's been able to get to know El a lot better over the past year.

Dustin and Lucas have been going great too, they always come over for campaigns, which we can organise more often now that everything is somewhat back to normal. Since everything that happened a year ago. Lucas was even trying to teach El how to play Dungeons and Dragons, and she always seems so interested, so happy she can finally participate in something normal kids do. Well, as normal as kids get in our case, anyway.

Apart from being thrilled about making a new friend, Will has been acting so strange lately. His persona has completely changed. I feel as though I'm the only one really noticing, though. He's so much darker now, his choice in words and the way he carries himself is so much different to the quiet and funny Will we all used to know. Well, the Will _I_ used to know I guess, because no one but me has really noticed.

Apart from now getting an education, Eleven has been happier than I've ever seen her. I get to see her everyday, and it makes me feel so much less empty just to see her smile.

But me, on the other hand, by the time I turned 14, I knew I was depressed. I don't know how it happened with everything going so well for everyone else. It almost feels as though, because everyone has been doing so well lately, over the past year, I've been drained of all emotion. Sometimes, I feel jealousy even. Jealousy for the fact that all of my friends are happy, but I can't be.

I just feel so empty, so broken, like I'll shatter any minute now. I feel so useless and so much self loathing sometimes the only way out, the only way out that I see anyway, is to kill myself.

I'd started self harming too, Nancy caught me twice, she started crying both times. It hurt me, to see my sister cry because of what I was doing to myself, what I still do to myself. But quite honestly, I believe I deserve it.

The pain. The self loathing. The emptiness.

But it's hard, because once you've become so accustomed to this feeling of sadness, it becomes easy to believe you don't even deserve happiness.

The only thing that fills that gap other than thoughts of suicide is El. She's always so happy, so curious, and that alone makes me feel so warm. Because if she's happy, maybe I can be too.

Even if I don't believe I deserve it yet.

The touch of her hand against mine is so comforting, and her eyes always seem to light up when she sees me. She's always happy to see me. She's the one person in my life that can do that to me. She's the one person who can fill me with so much warmth that even I don't have to force a smile.

But unfortunately, it's become a habit of mine, whenever I catch myself smiling, to stop myself. My friends have noticed this, all except Will, who keeps saying I'll be fine, that there's people who have it worse.

I try to tell myself that it's not really him talking, saying these things that only hurt me more. I try to tell myself that it's just because of everything he's been through, that he's changed a little, that he's just in a bad headspace, like me. That maybe it's just a phase for both of us.

But I don't believe that, not for a second.

That's this is just a phase, for either of us really. But it's the only idea that comforts me when things get like this.

I've been trying to teach Eleven about the merits if relationships, about boyfriends and girlfriends and marriage and whatnot. I've wanted ask her out for ages, heck, I've wanted to ask her out since the day I met her so long ago, when she was sitting soaking wet on my couch, scared out of her mind like a skittish kitten.

She seems to be getting the idea, and whenever we hold hands or hug for a little longer than usual, Dustin and Lucas always smile and laugh knowingly, which is one of the few things which makes me smile a little.

Even though I always feel so hopeless, I still feel protective of El. I still feel as though it's my job to take care of her, even though there are already so many people looking out for her.

I still feel like I have to keep my promise to her, to protect her, even if everything is over now. I sometimes even feel a little bit less like a worthless piece of dirt when Eleven makes it obvious that my touch calms her, like when I hold her a little tighter during a thunder storm, or squeeze her hand a little harder when she's reminded of her days in _that place_.

Sometimes I don't always feel terrible.

But even I get scared sometimes. Sometimes I'm scared I'll lose her, sometimes I'll wake up crying in the middle of the night because I had a nightmare of her dying in my arms again, being even less comforted by the idea of her no longer sleeping in the fort I built for her, like when we first met.

Most nights, I hope I'll die, I hope I won't have to wake up to find her no longer by my side, until I have to meet the sun again in the morning, most mornings being greeted by her smile as she comes through my front door t join us for breakfast like she has always been for the past year.

She asked Hopper if she'd be able to join us for breakfast every morning, since she'd have to wait until after school to see me again. She also argued that because we all meet up at Will's house in the morning to ride to school together now anyway, it would just be easier to ride to Will's with me instead of being dropped off by Hopper, so that she can be homeschooled by Joyce.

I just thought it was sweet that she couldn't wait to see me.

But, despite how happy she makes me, when she isn't around...

I just feel empty.

 _ **A/N: So that was the first chapter of Part 2, I hope you guys enjoyed it! It's a lot darker, so I'm really sorry about that. It was emotionally really had for me to write because I guess I was trying to pour a lot of myself into Mike. But don't worry, this is all necessary to the plot, and I have big bIG BIG THINGS planned! So please leave me heaps of comments and thank you all for being so patient, I'm so grateful for all of your support! I'll see you all soon for the second chapter! xx**_


	22. 020: Hello, El

I wake up to the sight of sharp rays of sunlight piercing through my curtains like knives. I have to shield my eyes with my hand as I sit up, and as the back of my hand brushes my cheek, I realise that my face is wet. I must have been crying in my sleep again.

I can't remember exactly what my nightmare was about, only that, as usual, Eleven was taken away from me. These kind of nightmares are the ones that a dread will become a reality, as I've already experienced it before, and it _destroyed me_. I can't even imagine what it'd do to me if I had to experience that again, the nightmares of losing her are bad enough as it is.

I force myself out of bed, reminding myself that if I get up, I'll see her. I'll see Eleven. I'll get to eat breakfast with her. I'll even get to ride on my bike with her on the back all the way to Will's house. This is what I tell myself every morning. This is what forces me out of bed.

The thought of seeing her.

I fumble on my pyjamas and clumsily undress myself, sleepily pulling on my jeans and shirt. It's the same striped shirt I've had for a while. It still fits me, even after a year and a half. As I'm pulling it over my head, i notice the scars on my arm, of the multiple times that a knife has met my skin. Some scars are newer than others, and I run my fingers over the reddish skin and feel the unevenness that my harming myself has created. I'm ashamed of myself.

I grab my coat, the chilly April air still not warm enough for my liking. Summer always seems to come late in Indiana. Well, for me anyway. I prefer Winter anyway, so the lateness of the hot Summer doesn't always bother me, since it just means that I get to enjoy the comfort of hiding beneath my blanket without melting for even longer. It also let's me wear longer clothes for longer.

I fumble around with my shoelaces for a little while, and when I glance at my watch, I see that it's 7:15. It's taken me 15 minutes to force myself out of bed, to undress and then to dress myself again. I keep reminding myself "if I get up, I'll get to see her."

I slowly trudge downstairs, plastering a smile in my face before my family can meet my dreary eyes. They can't know that I'm depressed. They'll send me to a therapist and everyone at school will find out and think that I'm crazy. No one can know.

The only person that has the faintest idea of my headspace is my sister, who has caught me cutting on two occasions. I'm honestly so ashamed, so embarrassed of my body. I've heard people at school who say things like how people that self harm are stupid or just looking for attention. Or that people who are depressed are choosing to feel that way. They couldn't be more wrong.

I can't help this.

This awful feeling of nothingness. This feeling that I deserve to be punished for my very existence. It's like a shadow that's always following me around, screaming my name and telling me that I'm worthless, and that I mean nothing.

The only ray of light that can drown that shadow is El. That's why I love being around her. I've always loved being around her, even before this depression snuck up on me. I've loved her since the day I met her. And no matter how bad some of my days get, she's always there with a smile on her face. She pushes that little voice in my head away, silencing it, replacing it with her own voice that screams _I need you_.

She honestly means so much to me. I'm so damn in love with Eleven.

I get to the bottom of the stairs and walk into the kitchen, noticing that Hopper and Eleven are already sitting down at the table, food sitting untouched on plates in front of them. Eleven meets my eyes and when she sees me, her whole face lights up. She honestly looks so beautiful. She always does.

She decided to keep her hair short, not completely shaving it off but keeping it just below her ears in a kin of pixie cut. It suits her nicely, but I honestly wouldn't mind how she looked either way.

"Good morning, Mike!" She exclaims, running over to me in excitement. I'm so thrilled to see her like this. Over the past year she managed to really spread her wings and open up to us. She smiles a lot more, talks a lot more.

"Hello, El," I manage to get out, coming out of my reverie. She embraces me in a tight hug, like she always does, and I squeeze her back. I always look foreword to these morning hugs.

She leans up and pecks me on the cheek, which she only does sometimes, when Hopper isn't looking. Hopper seems to be having a conversation with my mum, probably talking about work or something.

So, while he seems to be distracted, El takes the opportunity to extend her kiss from my cheek to my lips. She moves her lips to my mouth, her lips sweet and soft, her kiss slow and tempting. Something I always crave.

She leans back to look at me, her cheeks flushed pink, and she laughs, my face must be just as red as hers. I manage to laugh too, and to my surprise, it isn't forced. It's amazing how only she can do that to me.

We walk back to the table and start to munch on our breakfast which is as usual, El's favourite, Eggos. Despite eating them most mornings, I never get sick of them because I know that they're her favourite.

We're sitting side by side, glancing at each other sideways at moments, recalling our earlier kiss with embarrassment and joy. I only really ever feel joy at rare moments like these.

As we nibble on our food, I glance up at Nancy who is constantly looking up at is knowingly, she must have seen our kiss before. My cheeks burn and I hear her giggle, El following suit beside me.

I hide my face and I can feel Hopper's puzzled stare burning into me, but when I hear him laugh lightly I ignore how uncomfortable I've become in this awkward moment.

Once we've finished our food, El and I stand up and say goodbye to Hopper and my family, as we usually do. My dad gives his usual disinterested wave and mumbles a goodbye as he glares into his newspaper, my mum being his complete opposite and smiling and waving at us enthusiastically.

Hopper and my sister just smile at as happily, which puts me at ease. As I pull on my coat Andreas for the front door, Eleven at my side, I take her hand in mine and try to give her the biggest smile I can muster.

"Let's go to school," I say, trying to ooze as much enthusiasm into my voice as possible.

"Let's go!" El's excitement can't be contained. It never can be nowadays. I wish I could always be as curious and excited as her. I can honestly say I am so in love with this girl. This girl with superpowers beyond human comprehension. This girl who actually adores _me_.

 _ **A/N: Hi everyone! I just wanted to remind you all to follow me on Wattpad. I update a lot faster and I'm always posting news and stuff for new stories and everything. I also have a lot more books and stuff, so please please please follow me. My username is -etherealangel. Thanks guys!**_


	23. 021: Strange Things

**_A/N: hahaha see what I did there with the title, anyway, I hope you all enjoy the chapter! Sorry for the wait xx_**

On the way to Will's house, I notice some really strange things around our neighbourhood.

There are things like claw marks in trees, strange footprints on the pavement and stains of what look like small drops of blood scattered in various places on the ground.

I train my eyes to see none of these things as strange, as the feeling of fear only envelopes me when I think about what each of these things could mean. El leans over my shoulder a little, looking over me as if to see what is ahead of us.

" _Blood_ ," is all she says, and I realise that she is seeing the exact same things as myself. I try to ignore the frightened tone in her voice as I turn into Mirkwood, heading towards the Byers' house.

Eleven sits back down and holds on to my waist a little tighter than before, which comforts me a little bit.

We finally make it to Will's house, and when we get there I find Will sitting out the front of his house on his bike, waiting for us. I stop a few metres in front of him, and he looks up at us, his eyes lighting up when he sees El.

I can't help but feel a little jealous, that he's more happy to see his best friend's girlfriend instead of his actual best friend. Well, at least that's what I consider El to be, my girlfriend. So of course I'm going to feel that way.

"Hi, El. Hi, Mike." Will says cheerfully, a little _too_ cheerfully. He's been acting so strange lately. Ever since he came back after he disappeared so long ago, there's just been something off about him. Like how he acted like everything was absolutely fine after he spent a week in the Upside Down with a monster hot on his heels.

I for one am traumatised, I was never the same again. It was so lonely, and so, so cold and dark, and I could never stop thinking about saving Eleven.

What really made me question things once I got out, though, was how the second monster had completely different motives to the first. Instead of taking people back to the Upside Down with it, it killed people on the spot. I will never be able to comprehend how strange that experience really was.

El jumps off of the bike and I hear her shoes meet the ground behind me, her feet making a little tapping noise on the cement. "Hello, Will," she says politely, offering him a small smile.

For some reason, I'm glad she always gives me the biggest smile out of everyone, even if that is a selfish way to think. But how can you blame me? I've lost her twice, I have to do everything in my power to protect her. Even if I am just a useless waste of space. At least I can make myself somewhat useful by trying to protect the girl I love. She's the only reason I'm still living.

"So are we leaving now, Mike?" Will says, a small smile on his lips as he breaks me out of my reverie.

"Uh I guess so," I reply sheepishly, coming back to reality, "could I walk Eleven inside? I'd like to say goodbye to her properly."

Will rolls his eyes a little, the smile still present on his face. "Sure."

It was strange how quickly his demeanour could change. A minute ago, his attitude almost seemed... Fake. But now, it's almost as though he's actually pleased to see me. Is there something he's hiding? I hate to accuse my best friend of things, but he's acting really strange, I've been questioning it for a while. Maybe he is as broken as me, he's just not letting anyone see it. Or maybe there's something more.

I walk El to the door, Will still on his bike, his eyes trained on us the entire time. I hold fast to Eleven's hand, my grip tight around her fingers. For some reason, today I feel more reluctant that ever to let go of her.

She looks up at me with worried eyes before loosening her grip on my hand. I look down at her, trying to keep my expression neutral, but I must be doing a terrible job because when I read her face, it's almost as though her eyes are telling me exactly what I'm thinking. She knows that something is wrong.

Instead of asking me what's up, fully aware of Will's presence, she pulls me into a tight hug. She leans up, whispering something in my ear that sounds like, "I'll see you later."

I give her a nod, and when she steps inside, I hold onto the door so that she can't close it. "El..." I start, my voice shaky, "I love you."

She offers me a small smile and replies, "I love you too."

Then, I loosen my grip on the door so that she can shut it, and I can hear Mrs Byers's footsteps as she shuts the door.

I sigh, stepping down from the porch, turning to Will. His face is painted with a calm expression, only his eyes hold something more. Something I can't quite place. He almost looks... angry.

"Okay," I say, holding my bike by the handlebars and using my foot to flick up the kickstand, "let's go."

Will just nods and starts to pedal away. I sit on my bike and start to pedal, trying to catch up to him.

I notice that he's staring to pedal faster than before, his movements seeming angry and aggressive, and I hear a tree fall in the distance, the sound making a loud crashing noise. How strange for a tree to fall without cause.

Then, I see Will, who is only a few metres ahead of me now, use his sleeve to wipe something from his face that I cannot see.

Something is up with him. And I'm going to find out what it is.


	24. 022: Hazy

Will and I ride towards Dustin's house, and when we get there, Dustin is already waiting with a keen look on his face.

"I was waiting for you guys _forever_ ," he muses, his words getting caught in the gap between his teeth, "aren't you guys excited for AV club today? If you like, we could use the time to plan our next campaign! It'll be so much fun."

I smile at the idea, even though I'm not really interested in playing D&D anymore. I know it's weird, but I don't really feel like doing anything anymore. I just feel... Tired. All the time. Like I can't be bothered to do even what used to be one of my favourite things.

I don't want to seem like a downer, so I try to have _some_ input in this conversation. "Sure," I say, not wanting to let down my friend, "we could hold the next one at my house like usual. I'll invite El so she can play again. She told me she really likes playing Dungeons and Dragons with us."

I wasn't lying. El really did like Dungeons and Dragons. Inviting her over for another game of D&D might motivate me to play again a little more as well.

"Sure! She needs an _official_ character, though. Why not a warrior princess! Or maybe an elf queen! Would she like that?" Dustin continues, climbing onto his bike.

"I'll ask her," I reply. I can't help but smile at Dustin's enthusiasm.

"What about you, Will the Wise? What do you think would suit Eleven?" Dustin asks Will as we start to pedal out of his driveway.

Will thinks for a minute, his attitude calmer as he thinks of what would make El happy, "hm," he hums thoughtfully, a finger on his chin, "maybe a warrior princess. I think that'd suit her well. She's like a damsel in distress when she needs to be, and at the same time she's a warrior. You know, with her powers and all."

As I ride behind them I contemplate the idea. Will is right, Eleven is a bit like a warrior princess.

As we head towards Lucas's house, Dustin and Will continue to throw their ideas at eachother, but to be honest, I'm not really listening. All I can think of is El, and how when she _was_ a damsel in distress, I failed to save her.

We eventually found our way back to each other again, but, I was never the one to save _her_. I couldn't feel worse about myself.

Dustin and Will seem to notice my silence and turn both of their heads to look at me at the same time. "Everything okay, Mike?" Dustin asks me, his eyes questioning and concerned.

Will just looks at me with a neutral expression, almost as though he doesn't care for my response, which hurts a little.

I give them a convincing smile, and continue to look straight ahead of me. "I'm fine," I say, "just deep in thought."

"What're you thinking about?" Will says finally.

"Oh just... About the campaign, and what we'll do for El," I lie.

"Okay," Will says flatly and turns back around. Dustin on the other hand hold my stare for a second longer, a concerned look plastered over his features. He finally nods and turns back around.

We make it to Lucas's house, and Dustin jumps off of his bike, forgetting about his kickstand and leaving it lying in the driveway while Will and I wait on the road.

Dustin runs up to the front door, knocking on it enthusiastically, and when Lucas finally answers the door, Dustin doesn't think twice about bombarding him with all the facts of his previous conversation with Will, telling him all about his ideas for the next campaign we're going to plan during AV club.

Lucas seems enthralled by his ideas and offers some of his own, all of which I can't really hear.

Then, we all ride towards school, the other three continuing their conversation as we all ride, whilst I keep to myself.

As usual, for the entire day, I'm in a constant state of being zoned out. I honestly can't concentrate, my mind just can't focus. Every time I try to write something down, my mind just goes blank.

If anything has come to my mind today, it's how utterly useless I am compared to my friends. Whilst I was hopeless to save El, they managed to save the both of us from the lab and get me to the hospital without telling anyone where we had come from.

They were the ones that secured a safe life for Eleven, not me. All I did was tell Twelve to get lost, I did nothing important. Come to think of it... Where is she now? Is her dad still alive? I'm suddenly terrified. I was the one that let her get away that day. Even if it was a year ago now, anything is possible with her.

I notice Will lean over to my desk, his eyes filled with something unsettling that I just can't place. "My mum's working late, so is Hopper so no one can look after El tonight. Would it be okay if she came home with you tonight? I'm sure I can get my mum to let your parents know before school ends," he asks.

I nod, a real smile sneaking it's way onto my lips. "Sure," I reply, "I'll come over to your house after school to come and get her. My mum should be fine with it."

He smiles halfheartedly and leans back in his seat. Something tells me he didn't want to ask me to have El over.

The rest of school passes in a sort of haze, my mind never breaking free of my weird daze-like state.

As we all make our ways home, Dustin, Lucas and Will continue to discuss everything that we, or rather they, thought about during our time at AV club.

I honestly can not focus on a word that they are saying, so while we ride towards Mirkwood, Dustin and Lucas eventually arriving at their own homes along the way, I can't ignore the strange fog clouding my mind.

Ever since I'd started becoming more and more depressed, everything has been sort of foggy.

Eventually, Will and I make it at his house, and when he unlocks the front door we are almost instantly greeted by Joyce. "Hi boys!" She says cheerfully, moving over to let us inside, "how was school? Learn anything useful?"

"Do we ever?" Will says sarcastically, and his mum rolls her eyes.

"Ah teenagers. Well, Eleven and I had a very productive day. She didn't even want to take a break! She's just getting her coat now," Mrs Byers explains.

"Where's Jonathon?" Will asks his mum, obviously worried about being home alone.

"He's still at work, he should be home soon. Don't worry, I won't leave for my night shift until he gets here, honey."

We make out way into the living room, and every time I see the fairly normal looking room, I can't get the image out of my mind of the alphabet on the wall and the Christmas lights hanging from every spare inch of space.

Eleven emerges with her coat on and a novel in her hand, and she looks tired yet fulfilled. Whereas I feel tired yet unfulfilled.

"Hello, Mike," she says, a smile creeping into her lips.

I smile back, "hello, El. How was school?" I ask.

"It was good, I'm reading my first novel," she replies, taking my hand and heading for the door.

We say goodbye to Will and his mum, his eyes constantly trained on Eleven as she made her way onto the porch.

Then, we jump on my bike and head for home.

 ** _A/N: hi everyone, I'm so sorry this chapter is kind of boring. But it's long so I guess that's good. The next chapter is going to be better. Big things are on the way!_**


	25. 023: Broken

Eleven is holding fast to my waist as I speed down Mirkwoord and back towards my house. She never let's go, her hands gripping my coat whilst her arms are stiff around my waist.

The feeling of her around me is comforting, I much prefer riding my bike when she is on the back. She makes me feel secure, her touch warm and the feeling of her arms clinging to me for safety helps me to believe that someone still relies on me.

As I ride through the streets of Hawkins, the sunset bathing everything in sight in a sort of washed out orange colour, I notice El starting to hum a tune behind me.

I can't tell what the song is, but the melody is sweet and soothing to my ears. Perhaps it's a tune of her own creation.

I flick on my headlight as I continue to ride through the darkening neighbourhood, slowing my pace so that the wind doesn't whip as violently against my face.

Eleven leans her head against my back, and I realise how tired she must be after a full day of schoolwork without even taking a break. She must really love school to not even want to have a break. I on the other hand have done absolutely nothing productive today, yet, I'm still as tired as anything.

I turn down my street and into my driveway, my garage door wide open. As I ride into my driveway, I notice the light above the garage door flicker, but I just ignore it. There's nothing coming for us.

I get off my bike, helping Eleven off, and reach up to shut the garage door. It slowly shuts and Eleven and I make our way inside. When we open the door and step into my house, El's hand in mine, my mum yells a greeting from the kitchen.

"Hi, Mike! Is Eleven with you?" She yells at the top of her lungs.

"Yes, mum," I say back, disinterested. She's probably cooking dinner.

El and I make our way downstairs into the basement, and we immediately sit down on the old cloth sofa. I sink into the material, Eleven's hand still intertwined with mine like ribbon.

Eventually, she looks up at me with a concerned expression, her eyes flooding with emotion and worry. She opens her mouth to speak, and I look at her questioningly, but she retreats back into the couch instead, sinking into the cloth as though it was water.

After a few minutes she looks at me again, even more worried than before. Something in my expression must have forced it out of her, because she sounds so troubled when she asks me, "Mike, what's the matter?"

I glance away for a second, embarrassed and upset that she's figured it out. That I'm no longer the happy person I used to be.

"Nothing," I try, hoping she'll take nothing for an answer.

"Mike," she says, her eyes pleading for an answer, "friends don't lie."

I sigh nostalgically at her response.

I decide not to lie to her, there's really no point since she always seems to know when I'm lying.

"I'm just..." I start, think of what to tell her.

 _Tell her the truth_.

But I'm honestly ashamed to say it. I keep opening and closing my mouth, going to say something and then just cutting my own words off again.

Then, I open my mouth and I don't close it. I start talking.

"Eleven, I'm depressed."

She looks confused for a moment and then asks, "what's depressed?"

Even though she's been going to school for the past year now, I realise that Mrs Byers probably didn't feel comfortable with talking to her about mental illness, since everyone thinks she's crazy. I personally don't think she is, but mental illness is probably hard for her to talk about.

"It's like when you feel sad, or when you just feel absolutely nothing, but all the time," I explain slowly, "it feels like drowning nearly, like being numb all over. You lose interest in activities and you can become really irritable. I'm just... I'm so empty. I'm so numb. I don't know how to feel or how to act. I don't know how to control my emotions, because sometimes I might feel nothing, and then other times I might feel everything at once. It's painful."

Her expression falls as she echoes the word, " _painful._ "

"Mike, why are you in pain?" She asks, her voice cracking with every syllable.

"The first time I ever met you... I knew I loved you. Over that week I just fell more and more in love with you. And when I hit the bottom, I fell _hard_.

"I was so in love with you, El. I have been ever since. But then, after that short week, you were taken from me. That broke me, El. Right in two. And I never stopped thinking about you for those whole six months. You were always on my mind. It was tearing me apart, because I knew that you were the one. I just knew it. And I still know it now.

"Then, when I heard your voice on my supercom that day, I just knew that I had to save you, so I did. I went in there and I found you, but then..." I start to feel tears welling up in my eyes, and when I glance at El, she looks so worried, so sad.

I force myself to continue, "you were taken from me _again_ , I was helpless to save you, I was so weak. I had to spend over a week in that place because I was to weak to get you out of there myself. It was lonely, and so, so cold and dark. I couldn't bare it.

"And then, when you finally got me out, it was Dustin, Lucas and Will that secured your safety, not me. They're that ones that brought you to Hopper and got me to the hospital.

"And then it was my fault that Twelve nearly killed you. My fault! I just had to step out and get her attention, you almost died, El. If it hadn't been for your powers, you'd be dead. I'm broken, El. I'm broken and I need you to fix me."

I break down in tears all over her, right there on her lap. I can't stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks like raindrops down my face. I'm sobbing hysterically into her, and she just holds me and soothes me for what feels like an eternity.

I hate myself.

I hate myself more than anything in this world, and yet, here she is, holding all of my broken pieces together whilst I sob in her arms.


	26. 024: Sweet Dreams

I'm lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, at about 2:30am. El has to stay the night, since Hopper didn't want to bother us in the middle of the night to come and get her. She's sleeping in the basement, and all I can think about is how lonely my bed is without her.

We've never slept in the same bed before, but I know that if she were to sleep with me, I would sleep like a baby, and maybe even my nightmares would disappear.

So now, in the middle of the night, I have found myself staring at my plain white ceiling, studying every crack and every mark so closely that if someone were to wipe the surface of all it's imperfections, I would know where to place each one off by heart.

I do this every night, in hopes that eventually sleep will take me. In hopes that one night, I will actually be able to sleep soundly.

I'm startled by a sound at my door, a small knocking sound, and I get up to answer it. I find Eleven in my doorway, who is dressed in one of Nancy's night gowns.

Her hair is a little messy, and I assume she has been tossing and turning, unable to find sleep, just as I have not been able to either.

She looks at the floor, clearly embarrassed to be knocking at my door so late at night, and when I study her face in the dim light of the hallway, I notice shimmering streaks of tears on her cheeks. My heart breaks in two at the sight of her, at how broken she looks so late at night.

She looks up at me with glistening eyes, her pink lips pursed and her eyebrows raised. "M-Mike," she starts, her voice shaky, my name escaping her lips in a mess of sounds, "can I s-sleep with you tonight?"

I'm a little taken aback at her request, but nevertheless, I move out of the way to let her enter. She shuffles into my room, clutching at her clothes as she stares at the floor. I watch her walk inside, and she stands embarrassed in the middle of the room. I shut the door and walk over to her, admiring how innocent she looks in the light of the moon, which creates a sort of halo around her head. An angel. Even the moon agrees with my description of her.

Even though she's come out of her shell so much more over the past year, she's still the sweet, shy girl that she was when I first met her. She's still a little jumpy and hesitant to interact with new people, but she's very comfortable around us, which is another thing about her that elates me. But even now, she looks exactly like the scared little girl we found in the woods that night.

I carefully brush my hand passed her cold one, to which she let my fingers intertwine with her own, holding fast to my hand as she looks up at me. I look down at our hands, admiring how small her hand is compared to mine, and how easily they fit together, like two puzzle pieces made only for each other.

I look back up to El's eyes, looking down at her whilst she stares up at me. The dim light of the stars from outside my window casts an angelic glow over her pale skin, making her look as though she was of another world. As though she were some ethereal creature too beautiful and too pure for this world.

I pull her into a tight hug, and she wraps her arms around my torso, holding onto me as though I was her last source of oxygen. I hold her for so long, and after a short while I feel her start to sob against my chest, her whole body shaking, her crying muffled against me.

I don't think my heart can break anymore than this, thinking of everything that she's been through, and everything I've just thrown on too of her only hours ago.

I was so caught up in my own problems, I didn't even realise that El could be drowning too. It's awful to think that maybe she's been bottling everything up, trying to hide it all from me.

I pull back to look at her, and I notice that her face is all red and her eyes are puffy. I wipe the tears from her cheeks ever so gently, I don't want to scare the small, broken girl in front of me.

"Eleven," I start, and I notice my voice cracking, "please don't cry."

This only causes her to sob more, and she lifts her hands to her face and frantically rubs at her eyes with the heels of her palms. "M-Mike," she tries to speak through her tears, "I don't want to see you be in pain any longer."

I was wrong, my heart just broke _even more_ , disintegrating in my chest.

"El..."

She stops my words with a kiss, her lips pressed against mine pleadingly, as though she were begging me for help. For security.

Her hands are holding onto my face, and it takes me a moment to gather my thoughts before my hands fall to her waist. I kiss her back, and it's an amazing feeling, to be kissed by her in the light of the moon. And maybe I'm too young to understand what a kiss like this means, and maybe I'm too naive to even try to fathom what love is, but right now, in this moment, I don't care because this means everything to me.

It means everything to me to be kissed by El, and to kiss her back while she holds on to me, and while I hold on for dear life to her.

Slowly, she breaks away, looking to the ground as she let's go of me hesitantly. The feeling of her hands leaving my skin leaves me somewhat distraught, I hate the feeling of having touched her for so long, and becoming so addicted to her that when we part, I feel like dying. I wonder if she feels the same way.

I look down at her, watching her as she slowly looks back up at me with pink cheeks. Her sobs have slowed, and I realise it was our kiss that calmed her. It was my lips that brought an end to her suffering just now. Perhaps someone does need me.

"Maybe you should get some rest, El," I offer quietly, my voice a croaky whisper. Eleven nods in reply, slowly shuffling over to the other side of the room to climb into my bed. She swings her leg over the side and gets in, watching me the whole time, clearly embarrassed.

I smile at her as she sits on my bed, waiting for me to climb in beside her. I walk over and get in under the covers, El following suit. We lie down facing eachother, one of her hands are resting just beneath her cheek. I pull the covers further up over her, then shifting myself to be just a little bit closer to her.

El does the same, moving closer so her body is nearly touching mine. I hesitate for a moment before pulling her closer, wrapping my arms around her body protectively. She then wraps her arms tightly around my torso, her head resting just against my chest.

I move one of my arms up to smooth her hair, and I do that for a while before I eventually hear her breath slow. She's asleep, and she seems to be sleeping well.

I lean down and kiss her softly on the top of her head, whispering the words, "sweet dreams, El."

I shut my eyes, Eleven still in my arms, and I don think I've ever been so calm in my life.

And eventually, I start to drift off into sleep, ever so easily, ever so calmly. And I think that tonight, I might just sleep soundly.


	27. 025: Hurt

I don't think that I've ever woken up to a more beautiful sight.

I wake up to find El, still in my arms, with her hair a mess and her arms still wrapped around me. The sunlight streaming in through the curtains bathes her in a heavenly glow, making her look even more like an angel than she did last night, if that's even possible. She looks so at peace, so calm as she sleeps in my arms.

She looks so small, so fragile, that I instantly feel like I need to protect her. I shift a bit to pull her closer, but as soon as I move Eleven stirs and her eyes flutter open. She stares up at me sleepily, slowly letting go of me to rub her eyes with the back of her hand.

She's so cute.

If there are any reasons to live, Eleven is certainly one of them.

She looks up at me and smiles really big, her teeth showing as she continues to rub the sleep from her eyes. I don't think I can contain how in love with her I am any longer. I sit up, looking down at her as she stares sleepily up at me.

"Good morning, El," I whisper, looking down at her as she yawns. She blinks at me and then smiles, her eyes lighting up the whole room.

"Good morning, Mike," Eleven replies, her voice quiet and tired. She's still trying to wake up, lying at my side with her short dark hair sprawled across the pillow.

Somehow, even through the dark lens I can't seem to remove from my eyes, El manages to brighten up my world, bringing me the utmost happiness. She's everything to me. Heck, if there's such thing as something even more than everything, Eleven is certainly it.

She brings feeling back to my body, back to my broken mind, lifting the numbness and leaving me with nothing but warmth. When I'm with her, I feel a sort of tingling feeling in my stomach, but it feels warm and desirable. I crave it all the time, I crave Eleven all the time. She brings light into my life, even when it's so, so dark.

I stare at her lovingly for a little while longer, a real smile on my face. Then, I lean down to kiss her, my hands on either side of her head to steady myself. My lips are pressed into hers, but this kiss is different to a few of our others, it's soft and gentle, not forceful. She mimics my movements like a dance routine, our lips perfectly in sync.

I break away for air, and I look at El beneath me who's cheeks are glowing pink. She smiles at me before sitting up, and I move off of her so she can sit beside me.

"How did you sleep last night?" I ask her as she rubs her hands through her hair to straighten it out. I hope she's not trying to make her self look pretty, I already think she is no matter what.

"Really well," she says, yawning again and smiling sweetly, "how about you?"

I smile at her concern for me, "that was the best sleep I've had in a long time."

She smiles widely, the corners of her mouth leaving little dints in we cheeks, and I notice for the first time, the little dimples she has.

God, she's beautiful.

"Are you feeling better now?" I ask her, referring to last night.

Her face softens a little bit, her smile shrinking and the light in her eyes dimming. "I'm really worried about you, Mike," is all she says, not really answering my question.

"You... You don't need to be. But, is that why you were crying?" I ask her softly.

She hesitates a moment before nodding softly, her eyes fixed on one spot on the bed. "I was crying because you're in pain. But also... I think I am too."

My heart breaks once again at her words. _I think I am too_.

"What's hurting you, El?" I ask her, my tone completely transforming to that of concern and fear.

"I guess..." She starts, her voice shaking, "I guess I always knew that you were hurting. But... I didn't want to think of you as being in pain, it hurt too much to think about. I was scared for you, I still am. It's my fault, I put you through all of this. If we had never met that night when you were searching for Will, maybe you'd be okay, Mike."

I'm falling apart.

She blames herself. El thinks it's her fault and it's tearing me apart.

"El, no!" I protest, my voice still quiet, "if we hadn't met, we would all be dead right now. You saved us, El."

She smiles a little, "but what about Twelve? When you jumped out, she grabbed me first. She only wanted me, you'd be safe if you had let her take me."

"El, I would've killed myself if I had let that happen to you. I can't live without you."

I lean down and kiss her again, softy, not too hard. She kisses me back gently, her eyes fluttering shut. Then, we part, but she still has a troubled expression on her face.

"El?" I ask, "are you okay?"

She shakes her head, her hand touching her throat, "it wasn't me that pushed Twelve away when she was choking me that day."

 _ **A/N: Hello all! It's been a while! Thank you all so much for you patience, I'm sorry I wasn't able to update earlier. I'm actually on the bus to school right now hahaha. Anyway, I hope this chapter makes up for it**_? ﾟﾘﾣ _ **I hope it does, but I'm not to fond of it. But the cliffhanger at the end! Prepare yourselves! Who do you think El is talking about?**_


	28. 026: Who?

"What do you mean it wasn't you? Who did it then?" I don't mean to sound as troubled as I do, but I'm freaking out. On my face is an expression of fear, and I'm worried I'm scaring Eleven by the exact same expression that she is wearing on her face.

Her eyes are wide and her lips are parted, and in this moment she looks exactly like the small girl I found that night.

"I- I don't know... I mean... I tried to push her off of me, so some of it was me. But not all of it," she stutters to get out an explanation. Who else was with us who had superpowers, other than El and Lilith?

I try to recall that day, to think of anything that could have peeled Lilith off of El. Some of it was El... What if she's mistaken? What if she's more powerful than she knows? Then again, she seems so sure... What happened that day?

 _The blood from Twelve's nose drips onto the ground like crimson raindrops, and I realise she must be drained after not only closing the gate, but killing the monster too._

 _Suddenly, a strong force pushes Twelve back against a tree, in fact, it pushes us all to the ground._

 _I get up and run to Eleven who is coughing and sputtering on the ground, blood dripping from her nose and I hold her close and stroke her hair and telling her that she's going to be okay._

 _I look down and see that there is already bruising around her throat, and I feel a pang of guilt hit me._

 _"I'm so sorry," I whisper, stroking her cheek gently, "I'm so sorry, El this is all my fault!"_

 _"No," she replies, her voice husky and strained, "No, Mike."_

 _"It is! I'm so sorry!" I squeeze my eyes shut and I can feel cold wet tears rolling down my cheeks. I'm so stupid, so weak._

 _I look up to see my friends gawking at me in horror, Will wiping his nose with his sleeve as he looks at Eleven with a puzzled expression._

Eleven looks up at me with terror in her eyes, and all I want to do is hold her. I pull her into my arms, holding her and holding her, letting her fear seep away into me. I need to help her. I need to stop her from drowning, I need to pull her out of the water and warm her ice cold hands.

But one thought won't stop nagging at me from the back of my mind. One recollection of that day that I refuse to consider as an answer...

 _Will wiping his nose with his sleeve as he looks at Eleven with a puzzled expression._

I hold her for a while, her arms wrapped around me so tightly I'm scared I'll suffocate. Nevertheless, I continue to hold her close to me, keeping her warm and safe.

I sneak a glance at my clock, which reads 8:26am. I jump up and remember we have school today! I pull Eleven up our of bed and we run down the stairs to the basement to gather her clothes.

As she dresses, I run back up the stairs and get dressed myself. When I return to the dining room, I find my mum feeding Holly her breakfast, even though she is old enough to feed herself now. I think that my mum just likes having someone to fuss over, especially now with everything that's happened, Nancy and I can take care of ourselves.

Eleven eventually makes it up the stairs, and she's wearing a pink sweater with my sister' sold denim jacket, jeans and sneakers. She's also pinned a little piece of her fringe back, she looks beautiful.

I sit down at the table and munch in my breakfast, El sitting beside me doing the same. Our breakfast consists of the usual, Eggos, but I don't mind how often we eat them because I know that they're Eleven's favourite.

Eleven is having a conversation with my mum, which I can't really hear because of the constant voices in my head.

 _Will wiping his nose with his sleeve_

But it's impossible. Maybe he just had a runny nose and needed to wipe it? Maybe he knocked his head when he fell and his nose started to bleed? But then again... It's the only possible explanation. He has been acting strange since he got back. What happened to him in that place is there something he's hiding from us?

"Michael!" My mother yells across the table, interrupting my thoughts. My eyes snap up to meet hers, and she looks concerned. I glance at Eleven beside me, who wears the same look as my mum.

"Y-yeah?" I stutter, looking back at my mum wide-eyed.

She shakes her head looking down at the table, "Michael, could you please take Eleven's plate to the sink? She's finished her breakfast."

I jump up hastily, "y-yeah sure!"

I collect the dishes from the table and place them in the sink.

I stand at the sink for a few seconds, contemplating the idea of Will having powers. That would explain everything. The strange behaviour. Random things breaking whenever he gets upset. The tree falling down and Will proceeding to sip his nose.

Now I really am curious as to what happened to him in the Upside Down. I know that the monster got him, but what happened after that?

My thoughts are disrupted my the feeling of Eleven's hand slipping into mine. Her fingers are icy cold as they lace through mine, and my immediate reaction is to use both of my hands to warm hers. I hold her hand in both of mine, rubbing and warming her until the feeling of ice is gone.

I meet her eyes and she smiles at me, yet there's something else in her dark eyes that I just can't place.

"I think I know who did it. Who pushed Twelve off of you," I whisper under my breath so my mum can't hear.

Eleven cocks her head and offers me a questioning look, asking, "who?"

My voice drops even lower, I dread to say his name, "Will."

 _ **A/N: hellooooo so I guess we know who did it now, I'm surprised no one picked it up back in chapter 16 haha. Big things are coming your way so prepare for that!**_


	29. 027: Out There

As we ride our bikes toward Will's house, I explain my whole theory to El. She stays silent the whole time, letting me do all of the talking.

If I didn't already have enough on my plate to stress about, another one of my friends with superpowers needs to be added to the list.

What confuses me the most, though, is that he hid it from us. Whatever happened to friends don't lie? Why would he keep something like that from us? Especially when his lack of control, which I've noticed lately, can put us all in potential danger.

Whatever happens, though, I've made myself a promise to protect El at all costs. I don't _really_ think that Will is dangerous. He would never hurt his friends, right? I mean we've known each other for years. We practically know each other like the back of our hands. But either way, I can't let Eleven get hurt again. I just can't. Not after everything she's been through, especially since a lot of it is my fault...

We ride down Mirkwood, towards the Byers' house, and I swear I can hear something moving amongst the trees. But then again, nothing is really _normal_ here in Hawkins anymore. But shouldn't that be even more reason to worry? I shake the thoughts from my mind. I'm just overthinking things. I've been doing a lot of that lately. Yuck! I'm starting to sound like my sister!

But I guess it's better to be safe than sorry. Eleven's hands are gripping hard at my waist, and I instantly know that she can sense something too. Maybe I'm not turning into Nancy after all.

"Mike," she says quietly, "something's not right."

She sounds troubled, and I can't blame her. Nothing is 'right' anymore. Everything is so wrong. So strange.

"I know, but don't worry. We'll figure it out soon. We don't even know for sure if it's Will that has powers!" I try to sound confident in my words, but I can tell that she's not buying the act.

"Mike," she starts, "your logic is so sound. And... There's something out there, I can feel it."

She says it all while she points deep into the woods, and I realise she's right. My theory is sound. Will _has_ to be the one that used his... _Powers_ that day. Yet, even though I know it's the only logical truth, I don't want to believe that Will would keep something like that from us. Here I go again, overthinking and rambling on and on. But I guess it's better to overthink it than to not at all. At least this way I can be extra careful about keeping everyone safe, this time.

She's also right about something being _out there._ Things have just been so _off_ lately around our neighbourhood.

I ride up the driveway of The Byers' house, and I notice that Will isn't outside waiting for us today. I wish he had been, I honestly don't want to have to walk up and knock on the door to face him, and then find out that something is wrong. But I guess this is the start of me preparing myself to face my fears. I need to push away the darkness and buy a freaking flashlight. I can't keep relying on El to be my happiness, even though she always will be. But I can tell it's taking a toll on her too.

I can't let myself become numb again. I have to step up and protect her this time, and come out of this successful.

I jump off my bike and push down the kickstand, then helping Eleven off of the back. I make sure she's standing steadily on the ground before I smile at her, her eyes lighting up at the sight of my happiness, which makes my heart flutter in my chest.

We walk up the steps and onto the porch, and I step forward to knock on the door. Not long after, Jonathan answers the door with a troubled smile. "Hey guys," he says, his voice kind of shaky, "Will isn't feeling so good today, so you'll be riding out of here on your own today Mike."

"Oh," I mouth, stepping back, "is he okay?"

"Y-yeah, he'll be fine... It's just a cold I think."

Something about his tone of voice is giving me chills. How convenient for Will to be sick today...

"Would you like to come in Eleven?" He asks, looking at El with a smile.

Eleven steps forward and looks back at me worriedly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear before she grabs my hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

She let's go, looking back at Jonathan with a small smile. I'm hesitant to watch her go inside, and she must sense this because before the door shuts she looks back at me and says, "I'll be okay, Mike."

The door shuts and I'm standing there shaking as if I were standing in the snow in my underwear.

Something in her voice sounded _so_ afraid.

If anything happens to her today, it'll be all my fault.

 _ **A/N: hey guys, sorry for the short chapter. It was kind of a filler chapter but the next chapter is actually going to be amazing. I'll give you guys a hint as to how great it's going to be. It's not even going to be told from Mike's POV! Okay, that sounded more extraordinary in my head, but trust me, the next chapter is going to make up for how bad this one is. Prepare yourselves!**_


	30. 028: Will (Part 1)

_**A/N: hi guys, I know it's early but I just couldn't wait to publish this! Also, don't get your knickers in a knot but there's going to be two parts to this chapter because it's turned out to be longer than I expected, and the juicy stuff won't be until the next chapter. But don't fret! Part 2 is already up.**_

 **ELEVEN'S POV**

I wouldn't usually be so scared, stepping into the Byers' familiar home as I would nearly every morning. But today something is off. Something I can't describe.

The way that Jonathan talked and stood when he greeted us at the door is odd. The fact that even though I've been sitting on the sofa for nearly 20 minutes, and Mrs Byers hasn't even come to greet me yet is strange. Will being sick, especially now, is just plain weird.

Something isn't right in this house. Especially not today.

I think that Mike's theory makes a lot of sense. I do believe that Will has powers, and the way he's been acting lately only adds to my terror. I only managed to catch a glimpse of what Will used to be like, but even still, I can tell that this _isn't really Will_.

The Will that Mike described was kind and quiet and just an overall great person to be around. But now, he's just so cold. Sometimes, I can see a little bit of his true self peeking through what's left of him, tiny rays of light that I know are his kind and selfless traits.

I know that the real Will is still in there somewhere.

The Upside Down broke him. But I'm sure with the help of my friends that we can fix him and even bring back his old self, the one I barely got a chance to see when I got back.

I nervously tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, waiting for the arrival of my teacher. I hear hasty footsteps coming down the hallway, and then a distraught Joyce peeks out from behind the corner to meet my eyes.

She looks scared almost, this makes me worried.

"Oh," she starts, plastering on a smile and stepping closer to me, "hi, El! I'm so sorry about the wait. Um... Will really isn't that well and I need to take care of him today. I didn't get a chance to call Mrs Wheeler to say not to have you dropped off because I was tending to Will but... Just sit tight and amuse yourself for a little while. I just have to go and get some medicine for Will, I'll be back soon!"

She bolts out the front door, leaving me alone. I look around the room, sensing a terrible aura amongst these four walls. Like I said, something isn't right.

Jonathan then hurries past me, and I assume he's off to school, probably already late. He and Nancy usually meet up someplace and walk to school together instead of driving, but I guess they didn't do that today.

As he leaves I suddenly feel even more uncomfortable than before, knowing that now I am _completely_ alone in this house now, other than...

Will.

I strain my ears to hear the small, weak footsteps coming down the hallway. I stare intensely at one spot on the floor, hoping he doesn't approach me.

From around the corner comes a small, feeble looking Will. I drag my eyes away from the floor to smile at him politely, but when I look at him, the smile falls back into a straight line. I try to force it back, but it seems that the corners of my lips are just too heavy.

So I look at him blankly, taking in his frightful appearance. His eyes look hollow, sort of... Dead, and his skin looks pale and almost greyish. There's a line of dried blood from his nostril to his upper lip, and his hair is a wild mess.

He definitely looks sick, that's for sure.

He notices me staring and starts to speak.

"I know, I know," he starts, his voice croaky as he makes his way to the kitchen, "I look awful you don't have to tell me."

I want to say something. I want to confront him, just to settle the raging thoughts nagging at me from the back of my mind. I want to know the truth. I open my mouth to speak but my lips immediately snaps shut.

Will looks at me blankly before heading back towards the kitchen, sliding some bread into the old toaster. I hear him shriek a little before I see his hand fly up to his nose.

He pulls his hand away, revealing a small pool of blood. Without even glancing at me, he runs to the bathroom and I hear him vomit. I feel so uncomfortable, being under the same roof as this sick, twisted boy.

He emerges from the hallway with a tissue on his nose. He goes into the kitchen and swallows what looks like a small pill, and within a few minutes his nose stops bleeding.

The bread pops up from the toaster and Will takes it in his hand before making his way over to the sofa to sit next to me. I feel all of the hair on the back of my neck start to prick up, and I'm suddenly so frightened by his presence.

He sits down next to me, his wrinkled pyjamas reeking of sweat and something I can't describe. I need to speak.

"W-Will?" I ask, stuttering. Will turns to look at me, his hollow looking eyes wide.

"Oh," he says, "she has a voice!"

I sink back into the couch, suddenly to afraid to even open my mouth again. Will looks at me and raises an eyebrow, he looks annoyed.

"What?" He asks, so I force myself to speak.

"A-are you feeling okay?" That wasn't the question I wanted to ask, but the words seemed to force themselves out of my lips before I could even think about how to word my question.

"No, El, I don't feel okay. My mouth tastes like slime and my nose won't stop bleeding," he sits back and munches on his toast.

"You've been acting really strange latey," I say, looking at Will with wide eyes.

"Have I? I wonder why," he says sarcastically, leaning back in his seat.

I sit back, diverting my gaze back to that spot on the floor. Yet, out the corner of my eye, I can see Will staring at me.

I turn to him. "What?" I ask quietly.

He laughs a little bit, "you're so beautiful. Has Mike ever told you that?"

I'm a little taken aback by his comment. I might not know a lot about relationships, but I know this isn't right for Will to be saying. Where is he going with this?

"Of course," I reply hastily.

He laughs again, "how often?"

I try to think back to the last time he told me I was beautiful. To be honest, I didn't pay much attention to it. After everything we'd been through, just being in Mike's presence soothes me. I didn't even need complements.

"Um..."

"Well," Will interrupts me, "if you were my girlfriend, I'd tell you all the time. Is make you feel so special."

I look back at the floor again.

"I honestly don't even know what you see in Mike," he says coldly.

My eyes widen and I'm worried I'm going to burn a hole in the carpet just by looking at it.

"Why would you say that?" I ask, my voice a husky whisper.

"Because I'm far more like you than you think. I'd be way better for you."

I'm screaming. Not out loud, because at this moment, I can't even find my voice.

This disgusts me.

Will inches closer to me, staring at me and making me feel rather uncomfortable. Mike has never made me feel like this before. I've always felt so safe with Mike, but Will is really scaring me.

Then, he brushes his cold hand over mine, and I instantly pull away. He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear and I think I might cry.

 _Please stop touching me please stop touching me please stop touching me please stop touching me_

Then, he hooks a finger under my chin and forces me to look at him, dragging my eyes away from the floor once again.

And then

He kisses me.

 _ **A/N: please don't hurt me**_


	31. 029: Will (Part 2)

As Will presses his cold lips into mine I get a flash if something I wish I hadn't seen.

My eyes are squeezed shut in anguish, but what I'm seeing is like I'm reliving all of those nightmares in one moment.

I see... Absolute darkness, yet, there's something lurking there. The Demogorgan.

I can see it, it's claw like fingers reaching out to rip out my throat, to claw out my eyes, to eat me alive-

With I gasp I push Will off of me, and I see a flash of hurt in his eyes as he noticed my tears streaked face, but then, he starts laughing.

I stand up and back away from him, moving away until I'm pressed up against the wall. Will gets up and staggers towards me, and I put my hands up to shield my face.

"Don't touch me!" I shriek through sobs, "this isn't you! You've become a monster like the demogorgan!"

Will stands in place, his feet planted on the carpet. "You don't think I know that?!" He screams, "what do you think that monster did to me? For two years I've had to keep it a secret! I've turned into a monster!"

He glares at me in anger and I start to feel my feet lift up off of the ground. I'm suddenly floating and I look down at Will who has a fresh drop of blood flooding from his nose.

Red hot blood. Just like me.

"Put me down!" I shriek, "please! Stop!"

I've nearly hit the ceiling when Will drops me back onto the ground. I fall on my leg and I can't stand up. My whole body floods with fear as I yell at him, "Mike was right! You've been hiding your power from us all along!"

"I had to hide it!" He shoots back at me, his eyes fiery with anger, "I'm becoming a monster like the Demogorgan, I had to keep it a secret! That's why we're perfect for eachother, Eleven. We aren't like the others!"

I'm crying hysterically on the ground, my whole body shaking in fear.

"This isn't you, Will! I love Mike!" I scream.

"That's bullshit! He's no good for you!"

And with that, Will runs towards me, and I can't even run because of my leg. He's gone absolutely crazy, his eyes wild and his hands outstretched like claws. He really does look like the monster he's becoming.

He tries to touch me, to kiss me, and I decide that the only way in going to get out if this is to use my powers.

I use them to push Will back against the wall at the other end of the room, and he just gets back up and comes towards me again. I scream and scream, tears pouring down my face yet he doesn't stop.

He's kissing me all over, I'm trying to shield myself, to push him away. "If you tell Mike about any of this," Will says between his disgusting kisses, "I'll kill him myself."

I use my powers once again, forcing him into the floor and holding him there.

Somehow, he's managing to fight it, probably using his own powers, and he's sitting up on the floor. Yet, the force of me pushing against him, and the stress of the immense amount of strength he must be using, seems to make him feel sick.

He starts gagging and he clutches at his stomach, throwing up all over the floor. Amongst all of the contents of his stomach is a slug-like thing, and I realise that I've never been more frightened or disgusted in my life. The Demogorgan has ruined Will's life, turning him into just another monster.

I force myself up off of the floor, dragging myself out of the house and running down the street. I run down the road that the boys call Mirkwood, all the way back towards Mike's house, I don't even think to go home back to Hopper's.

I'm limping down the sidewalk, my hair a mess and tears streaking my cheeks. I eventually make it to Mike's house, and I sit at the basement door. I curl up into a ball, holding myself as I sob into the grass.

I can't even tell Mike what happened today. Will would kill him, just like he said he would. I'm so terrified of what is to come next.

 _ **A/N: guys please don't harm me I'm just a Smol bean I didn't mean any harm**_? ﾟﾘﾭ? _ **don't worry things will get better eventually, you won't have to hate Will for much longer!**_


	32. 030: Missing

_**A/N: This takes place immediately after Mike drops off Eleven at the Byers' house.**_

 **MIKE'S POV**

I'm especially hesitant to leave El this morning, not just because I'll miss her, but because I'm scared something will happen to her this time.

Will being sick is certainly the last thing we need, especially now that we think we know what could be going on with him. I don't want to leave Eleven with him for longer than I have to. Actually, I don't want Eleven _near_ him _at all_.

Will is my friend, I care about him, but is it really safe for El? Like I said, he's my friend, but he's acting so strange, what if he pulls something on her? What if she gets hurt?

I push these thoughts to the back of my mind, trying not to think about it as I wheel my bike out of the driveway. I hop on it, flicking up the kickstand, and I head towards Dustin's house.

It's an especially cold Friday morning, and I worry that Eleven won't be warm enough because she forgot her coat.

 _Stop thinking about her! She'll be okay._

I try to reassure myself, Joyce will take good care of El. And if Will is so sick that he can't even come to school, why would he try anything? He'd be too sick to anyway.

I ride down Mirkwood, back to the main road, avoiding pedestrians and cars, speeding down toward Dustin's house.

I eventually make it, dropping my bike in his driveway and running to the front door. I have to tell him and Lucas everything.

Dustin answers quickly, giving me a cheesy smile as he slides past me to get his bike. He hops on it and we start to ride, and before he can say anything, I start to explain everything.

I tell him about how I've noticed his strange behaviour, and how it wasn't El that pushed Twelve off her that day and that I saw Will wiping his nose after. I tell him about how he's mysteriously sick today, and how I'm afraid to leave El there today.

Dustin stays quiet the entire time, never asking questions or interrupting. When I'm finished, he turns to me and says, "I'm gonna be completely honest, I have noticed Will's weird behaviour, but I just thought it was because of everything he'd been through. But your theory... It makes a lot of sense but I guess we'll just have to wait and see how everything unfolds."

We make it to Lucas house, and like usual, Dustin excitedly jumps off of his bike to knock on the door. Lucas gathers his things and we start to discuss my theory once again as we make our way to school.

When I'm done explaining, with the help of Dustin, Lucas stays silent for a little while. Then, he speaks, "I mean... If Will really does have superpowers like El, which I'll admit does make a lot of sense, shouldn't we be helping him?"

I nod, "but he didn't tell us, he's been hiding it the whole time, El and I only figured this all out this morning anyway."

Lucas shakes his head, "but he's been acting strange for two whole years guys, didn't you ask him what was up?"

"If it's such a big deal then why didn't _you_ ask him what was wrong?" Dustin says.

Lucas rolls his eyes, "I just thought he was healing or whatever after everything that happened."

"Well that's what we thought too," I reply, my voice getting quieter.

We eventually get to school, Hawkins High School, and when we step off our bikes and make our way inside, we notice that everyone is abuzz with gossip this morning.

Max, the new girl, who has fiery red hair and a boyish attitude, approaches us. I smile politely, but she seems distraught. "Hey Max," Dustin smiles really big at her. Lucas and I think he has a crush on her, but he always denies it, of course.

"Hi boys," she starts, her voice shaky, "did you guys hear about all the people going missing last night, it's just like it was two years ago."

I cock my head, "how many people?"

"Three," she says worriedly. That's a lot of people in one night. She's right, this is just like two years ago. But why is this happening?

"They were a couple of kids from our school and a little girl that goes to Hawkins Middle. It's so scary, I wonder what it is," Max continues, "well, I'll see you guys around, take care and don't disappear!"

She starts to leave, dropping her skateboard on the ground and riding into the school building. This is bad. What if it is _exactly_ like it was all that time ago? What if Will has something to do with it?

I suddenly get a horrible feeling in my stomach like something terrible has just happened. I run to my bike, I just have an awful feeling that I need to get home.

"Mike!" Lucas yells after me, "where are you going?"

"I- I just forgot something. I'll be back soon!"

And with that, I ride home. And all I can think about is El.

 _ **A/N: early updaaaate, sorry this chapter's so bad guys. The next one will be good don't worry**_ ❤️


	33. 031: Danger

I ride down the street towards my house as fast as I can push my bike to go, the terrible gut feeling that I have acquired never leaving me. I know something bad has happened. I wouldn't be able to tell you how I know, it's just a strangely strong feeling I have.

I just knew that something bad was going to happen today, I just knew it. I have a terrible feeling that Eleven is in trouble, and this thought only makes me feel worse. I don't even know why I'm going home if it's El in danger, but that's where my gut feeling is taking me.

Once again, I've put her in danger.

I make it to my house and I ride around the back over the soggy grass so that my mum won't see me as I bolt through the house.

I drop my bike on the ground as soon as I see her, lying on the grass at my basement door in a messy heap of tears. I run to El, immediately holding my hands out to take her in my arms to comfort her.

I sit there on the wet grass with her, holding her close and letting her cry into me. We sit there for a while, while I just hold her and let her tears soak my clothes.

She's holding onto me so tightly, as though she were drowning and I'm the only rope she has to pull her out of the water. Eventually I hear my name leaves her lips, her voice shaky and quiet. It's not just her voice that's shaky, it's her whole body. She's a trembling mess and it seems that it's now my job to hold her together while she's falling apart.

What happened to her?

I decide not to ask her now, and to instead bring her inside instead of sitting out in the cold. I don't want her to get sick if she hasn't already.

I unlock the basement door with my house key and being Eleven inside. I realise that she's limping, which only fuels my worry for her more.

When we step into the warmth of the room, I realise just how ice cold Eleven is. Her hand is gripping mine tightly, her fingers laced into mine, and her skin feels as though it'll melt in the warmth of my hand.

I sit her down on the couch and carefully step up the stairs to collect some clean dry clothes for El.

When I make it up the stairs, I realise no one is home, my mum must be out shopping. So I don't take a second thought in sprinting up the stairs to my bedroom.

I open my draws and hastily rummage through the clothes, trying to find something warm for Eleven to wear. I realise that some of these clothes will be far too big, but i'd rather not go looking through my sister's things.

So, I decide on a pair of track suit pants and a sweater, also grabbing some socks for her to wear.

When I make it down the stairs again, into the basement, I find El still sitting on the couch looking like a frightened kitten. She's staring at the floor, and the sound of my shoes on the ground seems to frighten her.

She looks up at me wide-eyed and I offer her a smile in return. Her expression softens and I slowly walk up to her to give her the clothes. I walk her over to the bathroom, being careful of her leg, and I let her go inside. Before I am able to completely shut the door on her she stops it, just like she did the night we met.

And I realise, that today is nearly exactly like the day we met. I found her wet and cold, brought her inside, gave her some of my clothes and now she won't let me shut the bathroom door.

I smile nostalgically, asking, "what's wrong?"

"I- I don't want to be alone," she replies quietly, her voice a trembling whisper.

I nod a little, "I'll be right outside, El. Don't worry I'm not going anywhere."

She nods in return, but she still doesn't let me shut the door entirely. I face away from the bathroom to let her change, my back to her as she peels her wet clothes off of her body.

When she's dressed, she opens the door completely and taps me on the shoulder. I turn around and smile at her, and how my clothes are far to big to fit snugly over her body.

My sweater reaches her mid-thigh, the sleeves covering her hands. She's also wearing the socks, but the bottoms of the tracksuit pants are covering her feet. At least she'll be warm.

She looks adorable to be honest. My clothes make her look smaller than she actually is. She's so cute.

But, I have to try and ignore these thoughts as I remember that something has happened to her. That something hurt her and I need to find out what happened.

I bring her back over to the couch and I sit beside her, rubbing her back to keep her warm. I look at her with concerned eyes, and she glanced up at me for a moment but says nothing.

"What happened, El?" I ask, my voice quiet, barely even audible.

She squeezes her eyes shut and tears fall down her face, it's only a few drops, but they leaves shimmering threads down her cheeks.

I wipe them away, curious and worried to know what got her like this. I have a terrible feeling I know what- wait, no, _who_ could've done this to her.

She's hesitant to open her mouth, to say the words, to even _breathe_ , but eventually, she gets there, " _Will."_

One word. One syllable. One name.

I lean forward, urging her to continue.

Her bottom lip is trembling, more tears sliding down her cheeks as she tries to say more.

"You were right," she explains, "but that's not all."

I wait for her to say more.

"He's becoming a monster," she continues, slowly, "not metophorically, either. The d-demogorgan did something to him... He's becoming a real monster. H-he made me float... But then he dropped me on the ground again... It h-hurt, I hurt my leg. And he..."

She pauses for a moment, as though she's afraid to let me hear her next words.

I suddenly feel so guilty, for letting this happen to her... I should have brought her straight home instead of dropping her off at Will's house. I should have stayed with her and kept her safe. But I didn't, and it's once again my fault that she had to get hurt.

El looks at me terrified, and she parts her lips to let the words escape.

"He... K-kissed me..." She says, the tears falling more rapidly, "he wouldn't stop, I pushed him away, but he kept going. He kept t-touching me... He kept saying that you were no good for me, that he was better because he's more like me. I told him I love you but he didn't listen. I was so scared, I thought he was going to..."

She pauses to find her words, but decides not to say it. Even though I know what she meant.

"I managed to get away, and he... Threw up... All over the floor. He threw up a _slug?_ I don't even know what it was but..."

She stops talking, and by now I am full of rage. How could he do this to Eleven? He hurt her! In more ways than one. I have to confront him. I have to stick up for Eleven.

I stand up and head for the door, but El stops me. "Wait!" She yells, stopping me in my tracks, "he said if I told you anything that he would kill you! It's not really him, I know it's not. He's just fighting for himself, he's fighting against a monster."

I turn around to look at her. A small girl, tears streaking her rosy cheeks, her eyes begging me to stop. Is this what she looked like to Will? I'm disgusted by the idea, I feel like throwing up. How was _Will_ capable of destroying something so fragile?

"Okay," I give in, "but I promise you, I will protect you with my life from now on. I'll even skip school. I'll hide you here during the day so that Will won't hurt you."

Eleven nods, but she looks scared. I pull her into my arms and hold her tightly. She wraps her arms around me and holds onto me, her hands gripping my clothes through the sleeves of her sweater.

I promise you El. I'll never let anything else happen to you.

 _ **A/N: hi guys, sorry this chapter is a little late, it's a but longer than usual so I hope that makes up for it**_ ️ _ **I hope you all enjoyed, bigger things are coming!**_


	34. 032: No One is Safe

When my mum got home that afternoon, after El had explained everything about Will to me, and found Eleven and I holding each other in the basement, she had an expression of rage on her face, but her eyes told me a different story.

Her face screamed anger and her cheeks were red, she seemed so mad that I would sneak home and get Eleven into trouble too.

But her eyes looked concerned, worried almost, but I wouldn't say a word of what happened earlier that day. So, my mum just called Hopper to come and get El, and just like that, she was gone.

I kept on reminding myself that I would see her in the morning, that I would keep her safe, but some part of me kept nagging at me, screaming, "it's not safe."

It's true. It isn't safe anymore. Not for me. Not for El. No one is safe anymore. And as for those three kids going missing, that could mean anything.

On the way to Will's the next morning, I have to keep reassuring El that I'll be back to get her as soon as I ride with the others to school, that I'll come straight back to pick her up. She seems skittish, her hands shaky as she grips my coat tighter than usual on the back of my bike.

I take my hand off of one of the handlebars of my bike as we ride down the damp road on Mirkwood, and I place it reassuringly on her leg. She places her hand on mine, squeezing tightly as her finger shake nervously.

I glance back at her, noticing not for the first time today, the dark circles under her tired eyes. She mustn't of slept last night. I can't say that I did either. I haven't slept well for at least a year, the only time I did was when El was with me.

We make it to Will's house, where he is waiting out the front on his bike, as usual. He still looks sick, I didn't see him yesterday but I'm sure that his eyes shouldn't look as hollow and dead as his do, and his skin seems clammy and sort of grey.

"He seems a little better than yesterday," El whispers in my ear, and I can't imagine how bad he must have been yesterday.

I let El climb off of my bike and I get off after her, flicking down the kickstand and walking Eleven to the door, not even making eye contact with Will.

I'm holding fast to Eleven's hand, which is sweaty and cold. She stays close to me, not even looking at Will, and I realise the extent of what Will did to her.

She's so _scared,_ so nervous to even step into his house, even when he isn't there. What kind of memories does her being here bring back to her.

She steps up onto the porch, and Joyce answers the door as soon as El knocks. I stay glued to Eleven's side, and Mrs Byers' wild eyes only put me less at ease.

"Oh! Eleven thank goodness you're okay! Will told me you ran off when you were too scared to be here without me. You should've waited until I got back!" Joyce says, relief filling her words.

I feel sick. How could Will say that to his own mother?

"Oh um..." Eleven starts, her voice shaky as she stares at the ground, "Mike is going to pick me up early this morning... He has um... An appointment and won't be able to come and get me after school."

"What about Hopper? Isn't he coming to get you?" Mrs Byers asks, perplexed.

"Oh he's um... Working late."

"No he's not, he finishes early tonight."

"Oh," El is defeated, so I step in to help her out.

"It's a therapy appointment," I start explaining, my words falling from my tongue rapidly, "I was really nervous about it and I wanted Eleven to come with me. I've never seen a therapist before... My mum was really busy and couldn't find the time to call you so... She told me to give you an apology when I saw you so... Sorry from my mum."

"Oh," Joyce says, "I see. Well, come in Eleven, we'll continue reading your book for the little time we have together."

She leads El inside and her hand is still laced with mine as she walks. She slowly let's go, sneaking one last glance at me before the door shuts behind her.

I stand there for a few seconds before Will's broken voice intervenes with my dumbstruck thoughts.

"A therapist?" He scoffs, his eyebrows furrowed and his head cocked in mock confusion, "you've got to be kidding me. What could possibly be wrong with _you_? You've got the perfect life."

He gestures to the space around him, and I furrow my eyes in confusion. I stride past him, avoiding his sharp gaze as I step onto my bike, "I'm going through a lot more than you think, Will."

We ride towards school, as usual, picking up Dustin and Lucas along the way. The ride there is all very quiet and awkward, no one wanting to say a word to Will, whom I expect has nothing to say anyway.

We get there, and I only stay for a short while, but I don't leave straight away. I don't want Mrs Byers assuming that I'm only trying to get El out of school, when she probably suspects this much anyway. Now that I think of it, with Will here with me, it should be safe for El to be there now. But if she feels unsafe, I don't want to leave her in that situation.

So after first period ends, I hastily leave the school grounds on my bike, heading back to collect El.

 _ **A/N: guuuuys this chapter was so boring but don't worry, I'll be updating early with a really good chapter**_?￢ﾝﾤ️


	35. 033: Oceans

**_A/N: This chapter is so long! I would just like to say a huge thank you to those of you who nominated Demure for the mileven category of the ST FANFICTION AWARDS (on Wattpad)! This honesty means so much to me, so THANK YOU! Please enjoy the chapter!_**

I get to the Byers' house and run up to the front door and knock loudly, so loudly in fact that my knuckles immediately hurt when they meet the hard wood.

Joyce answers quickly with a mischievous smirk on her face, "Michael Wheeler," she starts, "I just happened to call your mother. She said that you had no appointment today for therapy."

"Oh," I mouth, not realising that she would take it upon herself to call my mum, "I- uh... I didn't tell my mum I was going to a therapist..."

Mrs Byers furrows her eyebrows and narrows her eyes at me for a few moments and eventually gives in.

She beckons me inside and I follow her through the door and into the living room.

"Will was the same," she explains to me as we walk through the house, "he didn't want me to know he needed a therapist. He said he doesn't need one anymore, but I was glad he eventually started to talk to me about it. Just don't keep your parents in the dark for too long, okay? And I'm always here for you too."

"Thanks," I reply, my gaze diverting to El, who is sitting on the sofa with a book in her hands. Despite how scared she seemed this morning, she seems calm now. Her expression has softened as she consumes the words on the pages, her eyes flickering from sentence to sentence. She has what looks like a small smile on her face, I adore how she looks as she's reading.

She's like the ocean. Sometimes stormy and untamed, a sea of uncertainty and fear, water ready to engulf and drown you. But then, she can be calm, soothing even. The tide coming in and out... In and out... Her breathing soft and her dark eyes full of light, like the sun glittering the ocean's surface.

But it's so ironic for me to be drowning... Just not in her ocean. She's so close to me, I hold her so dear, I'm constantly swimming in her company just to soothe my aching mind. Yet, I'm not drowning in her, I'm drowning in my own mind. Fancy that, a swimmer drowning in himself rather than the ocean of which he swims in.

Eleven's eyes flicker up from her book to meet mine, and when our eyes lock she immediately jumps up to hold me in her arms, and once again I'm floating on the ocean's surface.

"I missed you, Mike," she whispers into my chest, her voice muffled by the fabric of my striped shirt.

"It was only a few hours, El," I reply, a hint of concern tinting my voice. I smooth her hair and hold her close.

"I miss you whenever you're not around," is all she says.

I smile a little at that, at the fact that somehow my presence soothes her just as hers soothes me.

"Come on," I say, pulling away to look at her, "let's go."

I see Joyce smiling at us out of the corner of my eye, which makes me laugh a little bit. She must think we're so sweet, when really, we're just broken.

And I decide in this moment that we are more than just broken, we're starcrossed. Lovers doomed with a fate that will only shatter us more. Romeo and Juliet.

Where I am a normal, broken boy, traumatised by the past I can never let go of, El is a girl with superpowers, too pure, to innocent for a harsh world like this.

She's an angel, she belongs in the clouds, where she can dance and be happy and demure for the rest of her days. She'll be innocent, never losing that part of her to the cruelty of scientists and doctors wishing to experiment on her.

I am truly nothing important, just a boy who has fallen hopelessly in love with an angel.

I would gladly hand over my life for her if it meant she would be safe forever, but until then, it's _my_ job to make sure that no one harms her.

We say goodbye to Mrs Byers and head back to my house, sneaking in through the basement door. No one is home, thankfully.

I decide that if my mum gets home early this afternoon, we'll just retreat to the park near my house until it's a suitable time for us to be home.

I peel off my winter coat, discarding it on the floor and plopping down on the couch.

I look up at El, who is staring dazedly out the window to the grey sky outside.

"Everything okay, El?" I ask worriedly, furrowing my eyebrows.

She looks back at me and nods, yet her eyes seem distant, like she's still looking out the window into the cold world outside rather than me.

"How are we gonna do this everyday?" She asks, looking back out the window.

"I don't know," I sigh, looking out the window with her from my spot on the couch.

"We can't," she continues, her voice becoming quieter.

She sits beside me, and I grasp her hand in mine. She's cold, like ice, so I decide to try and warm her hands.

I take both of her hands in mine and rub them between mine to try and warm her, but it doesn't seem to be working.

El smiles down a our hands and her eyes flicker to my wrist for a moment, which is long enough for her to see what I've been desperately trying so hard to hide.

Her hands free themselves from mine and she holds my wrist up to inspect it. I try to retreat, to pull away, but she hold fast to my wrist and shows no sign of letting go.

I feel like I'm going to be sick.

She's glaring at my wrist, looking at it with an expression of fear and confusion.

"Who did this to you?" she asks quietly, her eyes running up and down my arm.

"El, it's not what you-"

"Who is hurting you!?" she yells, her eyes brimming with tears.

She looks hurt, her eyes flooding with confused tears as she begs for an answer. I'm ashamed, looking to the ground as though it would provide me with answers. I don't know what to tell her. She might think I'm dangerous because I hurt myself. She might think I'm crazy. What if she hates me?

"It's n-nothing," I attempt.

She shakes her head, tears shimmering on her cheeks as her face meets the light, "friends don't lie," is all she says.

"I don't want to tell you."

"Why not?"

"You'll hate me, you'll run away."

"No," she says through sobs, "I would never run from you."

I look up at her, meeting her eyes and I realise just how much sadness she holds there, in her dark eyes.

Her eyes are like the ocean in the middle of the night, dark and mysterious, but too dangerous to dive into. I realise why now. No one would dare to swim in such a vast pool of sadness. But while everyone is too afraid to swim, she's been drowning this entire time.

I'm so scared of burdening her, I don't want her to have to carry anymore weight on her own. I want to hold it up with her. I want to reach down into the water and pull her out, and if I can't do that, I'd gladly dive in with her. I would hold her in my arms, keeping her warm in the icy water as we eventually drown together.

We're so broken beyond repair, our minds so tortured and hazy that our only salvation is each other, but we will inevitably be each other's ends.

It's ironic how beauty like this can be found in such a tragedy.

So, I decide to tell her. I decide to tell her what I do to myself in order to keep myself sane, because I realise that we are in this together, and the only way that we are going to be able to swim to the surface is if we hold each other's hands the entire way up so that no one is dragged down to the bottom.

"I hurt myself."

My voice is a broken, husky whisper, the words tumbling from my lips in a mess of sounds, perfectly portraying my mind at this moment.

She widens her eyes in fear, "how?"

"With a knife..."

She sits back a bit, moving away from me, and I can't help but feel a little bit hurt as I stare a hole in the carpet beneath me.

I'm so ashamed of myself, of my body, and to be exposed like this to the girl I've fallen hopelessly in love with is tormenting me.

"Why?" El's voice is a nearly inaudible whisper.

"I hate myself, El. I deserve it..."

It's true, I do hate myself. I do deserve it. I don't deserve to be happy, and I most certainly do not deserve a girl like Eleven.

She shakes her head, moving closer to me and wrapping her arms around my shoulders. She sobs into my chest, her hands gripping my t-shirt so tightly I'm sure her fingernails will tear holes, but that's not what I'm worried about, because despite what I just told her, she's still here, holding me as we fall apart in each other's arms all over again.

"I'm so sorry, El..."

"Don't be... Please don't be sorry..."

She leans up to kiss me, her soft lips gentle against mine and I realise just how much I'd been needing this from her. I kiss her back, not forcefully, but enough to say _I need you_.

El pulls away for air, her tears slowing, and I look at her with half lidded eyes and a smile on my face. Her cheeks are tinted pink and my own face begins to heat up. She's so beautiful.

"Please don't hurt yourself, I need you and I don't want you to do anything worse..." her hands are on my cheeks as she pleads for me to stop, and I silently vow to myself never to purposely hurt myself again.

I nod, and she offers me a broken smile in return, and I pull her into my arms to hold her. Then, my eyes snap to the corner of the room where my supercom is sitting.

" _Mike!_ " Lucas' voice blares through the speaker, his voice hasty and puffed out as the sound of my name rings in my ears, " _Mike come quick! We know where those missing kids are!_ "

 ** _A/N: ...so where do you guys think they are?_**


	36. 034: Investigation

I jump up from my spot on the sofa, leaving El sitting distraught and confused behind me. I run over to my supercom hastily, nearly tripping over some of my D&D figurines along the way.

I pick up the device and hold down the button, "yes Lucas, I'm here, over."

" _Mike! We know where those kids are, there have been sightings of strange things all over Hawkins like monsters and stuff, like the Demogorgan but more!_

 _"You gotta get to school, bring Eleven with you and we'll leave to go find out where they're all coming from_ ," Lucas explains this all so rapidly, so fast in fact that sometimes the speaker crackles and I can hear his puffed out breathing on the other end, " _over_ ," he finishes.

"Okay okay," I say, moving my hands up and down as though he were actually in front of me so I can calm him, "just hold on for a second, is Will with you? Over."

" _No, he's in class, but we all figured this out together. Dustin told me I should go to the bathroom to tell you, over_."

"Okay, good. I'm not bringing El to school while Will is there, come to my house after school, we'll talk about it here. Over."

" _But would it be safe at night? Remember how the Demogorgan was attracted to blood? What if one of us gets hurt and we bleed? Over._ "

"It'll be fine. We'll just be extra careful, nothing is going to happen. We'll find out what's going on, go get Hopper if necessary, come home and think of something from there. It's Friday night anyway, ask your parents if you can sleep here tonight. Over."

" _Okay, Mike. I'm trusting you. Over and out_."

"Over and out," I echo, releasing the button.

I look over to El, who heard the whole conversation and is looking very scared and distraught.

I make my way over to her quickly, setting my supercom down on the table on the way over.

"Everything okay?" I ask her, sitting beside her and taking her hand in mine. She nods slowly, not making I contact with me as she parts her trembling lips to speak.

" _Scared_ ," is all she says, and I realise I didn't even ask her if she was okay with coming with us after school, especially with Will. I'm so stupid!

"Do you want to stay here? You don't have to come," I ask her, hoping she'll say no. I don't want to put her in danger.

"No," she starts, and she tilts her head up to look at me, "I need to help."

"El, you don't have to. Sure, your powers would be useful, you'd be like a superhero searching for those missing kids," I'm nodding and smiling enthusiastically as I contemplate how cool my girlfriend is, "but if you feel unsafe then you shouldn't have to come."

She shakes her head, "I need to help."

I nod my head, defeated. She wants to help, despite how scared she is, like a real superhero.

"Okay, I'll protect you, so don't feel scared, okay?" I say reassuringly, squeezing her hand.

"Promise?" She asks, her eyebrows knitted together.

"Promise."

My mum never got home, I guess she's been running errands all day. My dad's at work, and Holly is with my mum. So El and I had the whole day to ourselves.

She worries I've been missing too much school, and she's right, I am missing a lot of school, but El will always be more important to me.

At 3:15, or as El still says it, 3-1-5, we find ourselves pacing the basement, awaiting their arrival. Well, I'm pacing, Eleven watching my feet tentatively as they leave and meet the floor over and over again.

"What're you doing?" She asks, breaking the silence.

"Pacing," I state, and I continue to pace.

"Why?"

"It helps to calm me down when I'm waiting."

"But doesn't it tire you out?"

"No, it's not that much work."

She nods at that, sinking back into the couch. I feel like she was only asking to take her mind off of what was about to happen, and I feel bad knowing I ended the conversation.

I sit down beside her, it's 3:17. After a few long and boring minutes, we finally hear a knock at the door. I jump up to answer it, looking back at El as though to ask her if she's ready. She nods when she makes eyes contact with me, so I unlock and open the basement door.

"Mike! God, do we have a lot to tell you!" Lucas beams as he steps inside, into the warmth of my house. Being Winter, nearly Christmas, it's incredibly cold outside. I can't say that I hate the cold, it's nice when you want to cuddle up in a blanket with a warm drink, but then again, the piercing icy wind can feel like knives when the cold hits your face.

"Mike, is everything okay buddy?" Dustin asks, his eyebrows furrowed as he makes his way inside, he's rubbing his hands together to warm them.

I nod with a smile, turning to look at Will who has a very straight face, almost as though he's holding something in. Something he doesn't want said out loud.

"Will," I greet him, the tension suddenly growing.

"Mike," he replies, and I shut the door behind him.

I doubt he knows that I know what he did, but I doubt thing are going to stay that way.

All three boys then turn to look at El, Dustin and Lucas smiling really big while Will has a sort of mad look on his face. Maybe I was wrong, maybe he does know that I know what he did to her.

Honestly, just looking at him makes me furious, knowing that my _best friend_ has kissed her and possibly tried to take it further.

El wouldn't have been able to tell me anyway, she doesn't even know what that stuff is. Well, I don't think so anyway. Joyce gave her a brief version of "the talk", which didn't go too well on El's behalf. Maybe one day I'll have to explain it a little better to her, but that day certainly isn't today.

But that beside the point, I feel like I would know if Will had tried anything more. I'd be able to see it in the way El looked at me, in the way she spoke and walked. But she told me everything and I can't see it in her anyway, which calms my rage only slightly.

He still forcibly kissed her, and forced himself upon her, and I honestly never thought he would try anything like that whether he likes her or not. That just not something _Will_ would do. Of all people, Will always seemed like the least likely person.

I don't think it was really him.

"So should we start?" Lucas asks, breaking the silence and interrupting my thoughts.

"Sure," I state, sitting around the table with the rest of them, pulling out a chair for myself and Eleven, beckoning her to join us.

"Okay," Lucas starts, "so, there were rumours all over school today of monster sightings all over Hawkins, like the Demogorgan, but more of them, like I said.

"We aren't going out to fight them, just to find out where they're coming from. There must be a gate near here and someone must have opened it. We all know El didn't do it, so who did?"

I glance around at all of them, my eyes lingering on Will a little longer. I doubt he could have done something like that so easily, especially with his powers only being so newly discovered.

Eleven opened the gate the first time when she met the monster in her own mind, she touched it, and the gate opened. She told me herself.

When Twelve, or Lilith opened it, she must've done the same thing. She must have met something in that place that allowed for her to create a portal between out two worlds, which leads me to think, maybe that's how she knew that the monster wasn't dead? She must've needed it so that the gate could be opened, she needed for it to be alive to make a connection.

Will, I don't think, doesn't have power of that capacity just yet, even though he's proven to be very dangerous.

Which leaves us with only one other known option.

Twelve.


	37. 035: Taken (Part 1)

Being the middle of Winter, it begins to get quite dark out fairly quickly. By the time my watch hits 4 o'clock, the sun has already begun to lower itself down beneath the horizon, giving the moon a chance to breathe. In fact, just watching the sun set so that the moon can rise reminds me of a quote I once heard El recite; "the sun and the moon loved each other so much that he died every night just to let her breathe."

I've always liked that quote, ever since I'd heard if leave El's lips.

It reminds me a little of us, and how we're both drowning, pushing each other up towards the surface of the water so we can let one another breathe, even if it means that one of us has to hold our breath for longer.

I just wish we weren't so tortured.

I'm helping El put on her coat and mittens, letting her borrow a pair of mine so her hands don't freeze off. Dustin, Lucas and Will all have their things gathered, they're only waiting for Eleven and I now.

"You guys wait outside," I say, turning to face them with a smile, "I just want to talk to El, we'll be out in a second."

Lucas nods and leads the others out the door, while Will lags behind a little, snatching my gaze and holding it between his narrowed eyes. I watch as he steps out the door, shutting it behind him, leaving El and I alone.

I turn to her, looking deep into her dark eyes, which seem to be crammed with fear. I offer her a look of reassurance, the corners of my mouth curving up into a soft smile.

She looks somewhat at ease, although not by much. I sneak one last admiring glance at her before I pull her close to me, holding her in a protective embrace as she wraps her arms around me.

She holds onto me tightly, her mitten clad hands gripping my jacket nervously. "Mike," she whisper into my chest, "I'm scared."

My heart is broken.

I don't want to bring her into this situation, I don't want to put her in any more danger than I already have in the past.

"I already told you," I answer her quietly, "you don't have to come."

She shakes her head into my jacket, "I have to. I have to help find those kids."

"Well," I say with a sad sigh, "like I said before, I promise, I swear _on my life_ I will protect you with everything I have. I'm not going to let _anything_ happen to you ever again."

El pulls away, staring at me with glossy eyes. She looks tired, her under eyes dark and her lips chapped and dry. I can't imagine how little sleep she would have gotten since Will hurt her, even though it was only a day or two ago. She probably hasn't slept at all.

I almost tower over her, our heights differing so dramatically, she's so much smaller than I am. She's like an expensive piece of fine china that I can't let anyone touch. She has a few cracks, and I need to fix them before they get any worse, or she might shatter completely.

I take her hand in mine and squeeze, not too tightly, but just enough to reassure her that she is safe. Her past experiences with monsters haven't exactly been good, so it's only understandable that she is scared out of her mind right now.

I lead her outside, her hand still in mine, and I collect my bike while El waits with the others. I come back with my bike, locking the basement door with my key. We then head off and ride towards the forest, El on the back of my bike as usual.

The roads are slippery from the ice and snow, and I notice a few snowflakes starting to fall from the sky. The clouds are grey and the sky is growing really dark now, so we all flick on our headlights, the tiny flakes of snow glittering in the light of our bikes.

I sneak a glance at Will, who's face is straight and his eyes opaque, and I still decide that he's hiding something. He probably has something to do with all of this, or he at least knows something.

As we make it to the edge of the forest, I can start to hear rustling amongst the trees. There's little wind, so it can't be that. There's something in there.

My ears prick up at a sort of growling sound, but it doesn't sound like anything I've ever heard before. The others have noticed to, their eyes all darting around to find the source of the sound as we ride along the forest's edge.

El's grip tightens around my waist, and I can feel her hands shaking as she grips my jacket.

"Mike," she whispers, leaning forward slightly, "I want to go home."

"We will, El. I promise you'll make it home safely. We just gotta find where the monsters are coming from, then we'll go an get Hopper, okay?" I reply reassuringly, although I'm scared out of my shorts too.

She leans her head against my back, and I feel her nod against my jacket. She's shivering, her arms struggling to hold on as she attempts to keep herself warm.

I glance back at her for a moment, noticing how the snowflakes stick to her eyelashes and land on her cheeks, my gaze lingering on her before I hear someone scream in front of me.

"Guys, look out!" Dustin's voice is loud and rings in my ears and my eyes snap back in front of me, El's head perking up to see whatever is ahead of us.

My eyes widen at the sight of a dark figure in front of us, and I stop abruptly, the wheels on my bike slipping on the ice and flinging us off of the seat before we find ourselves on the ground.

I don't even worry about seeing if my bike is okay, or if I'm even okay, because when I glance behind me I find that El has grazed the side of her face and her knee is bleeding as she sobs into the ashphalt.

I quickly stand to help her up, and I nearly trip as I try to lift my bike off of her. I push my bike off of her, and I touch her face to check for any more signs of blood. I'm kneeling down next to her, holding her close to me and smoothing her hair as she sobs into my chest.

I look back to where the others had been heading, and I realise that none of them realised that we had fallen and had continued to ride away. The dark figure is gone, which I'm thankful for.

"Guys!" I scream as I watch all three of them ride away from us, and at the sound of my voice they immediately turn around and come back.

"Help! El is hurt!"

I turn back toward El to look at her, but what I find instead of her in my arms is...

 _Nothing_


	38. 036: Taken (Part 2)

" _Where did she go?_ "

Gone.

Gone.

 _Gone._

She's gone and I can't even begin to contemplate my thoughts and feeling at this moment.

Gone.

Snow.

 _Cold._

Gone.

I'm numb. Numb numb numb as I try to recall the feeling of her warmth leaving my embrace as she was taken from me. But she was so _cold_. The only remnants of her that I have left are the blood stains on my coat.

Gone.

"Mike?" I hear someone call.

"Where's El?"

I force myself to look up at my friends, their eyes full of worry and fear and concern and so many emotions that I can't place.

I stand up and look around me, into the darkness of the forest, up into the glittering night sky, at the snow that falls around me but she's nowhere to be seen.

Gone gone _gone_!

She was taken from me by that monster! It's all my fault, I promised to keep her safe, I swore _on my life_ that I wouldn't let _anything_ happen to her and I screwed up!

"El!" I scream at the top of my lungs, so loud that my friends have to cover their ears to stop themselves from going deaf.

" _Eleven!_ " my screams are so shrill I can start to feel my throat burning.

My hands find their way to my hair, my fingers gripping to the strands and I pull, I'm pulling out my hair and letting out a blood curdling scream and I'm drowning and she's gone and I'm spinning around in circles as my friends watch in fear as I _lose my mind_.

 _No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no_

I collapse onto the icy asphalt of the road and I'm screaming into the ground and digging my nails into the hard surface, tears streaking my cheeks and I'm drowning again and _I can't breathe_. She's gone and I can't breathe and this is all my fault.

All my fault.

I'm on my back, staring at the cloudy night sky as snowflakes get caught in my icy tears and my hands are once again in my hair and I'm pulling out the dark strands as I scream her name.

I'll never get to hold her again. I'll never get to kiss her, hold her hand, keep her close when she's scared or take care of her when she's sick or feel her skin against mine or her warmth against my body. I'll never know her scent again as she holds me close when we lie in my bed in the middle of the night when we can't sleep because of our nightmares of losing each other. I'll never get to touch her again, I'll never get to see her smile or look at her the same way she looks at me and I don't even have a photo of her to look at as I cry myself to sleep because she's gone and it's

all

my

fault.

My friends are standing over me, all of them keeping a safe distance except for Will, who stands directly over me with a disgusted look plastered on his pale face.

He scoffs and kicks me in the side, and I don't even retaliate because I deserve all the pain I can get. He's screaming at me, telling me how much of a screw up I am, and how I'm no good for her, but I'm not paying attention because the sky looks so dark and grey and that's exactly how I feel right now.

But then, he says something that catches my attention

"I would have been so much better for her, I could have protected her! I love her more than you ever could!"

I stand up, my legs wobbly and my mind hazy, but I face him and throw the best punch I've got.

I get him right in the jaw, but he doesn't seem all too fazed as he takes the tiniest step back from the blow. He punches me back, and I stumble backwards and fall to the floor, a searing pain piercing it's way through my nose as I watch blood drip onto my cold fingers.

"Is that why I found her in a puddle of her own tears on _my_ doorstep right after you tried to _rape_ her!?" I fire back, and I wouldn't be surprised if the whole town heard me.

"So she told you," Will steps forward, his eyes menacing as his hands balled into fists, "that bitch! I'm going to kill you Mike Wheeler!"

 _Rage_.

I have never felt more rage in my entire life.

I throw myself onto him, punching him over and over but it doesn't seem to have any affect on him. Will pushes me off of him and into a tree with his powers, and I hit my head on the rough bark.

I can faintly hear Dustin and Lucas screaming at Will to stop, but all I can focus on is the awful throbbing in my head and the numbness of my body. My nose won't stop bleeding, and I realise that this is Will's doing. He's trying to bleed me dry.

Then, through the cloudiness of my mind, I hear a rather loud slapping noise, and suddenly the bleeding stops.

"Pull yourself together, Will! This isn't you!"

Lucas and Dustin are screaming at him, and when my vision starts to clear I can see them just ahead of me, arguing and trying to knock some sense into Will.

I sink down onto the soggy grass, feeling the snow seep into my pants. I look down at the ground for a moment, and I notice a few drops of blood dyeing that pure white snow.

And I realise... _blood... night time_

and just like that

everything

fades

away


	39. 037: The Vanishing of El and Mike

WILL'S POV

It started in the Upside Down.

The Demogorgan got me, it did things to me, awful things. Things that have been destroying me from the inside out ever since my mum and Hopper found me half dead with a worm down my throat two years ago.

Everyday I step into the bathroom, and every time I look in the mirror I see someone new. My eyes always look more hollow than they did the day before, my skin a little more pale, the light in my eyes a little more dead. I can feel myself starting to slip away, the words I speak and the actions I take are far from my own.

I, Will Byers, would never do anything to hurt the girl who saved my life. A monster would, though. And that's what I am becoming.

I have always liked Eleven. I think she's amazing, she saved my life after all. She saved everyone at the expense of her own safety. But I would never try to take her away from Mike, I see the way that they look at each other.

Mike loves her more than anything he's ever known. And El loves him just as much, she's never known safety and security like him before, it's obvious how safe she feels with him.

I'm not who I used to be. And I don't think I'll ever get that part of me back. The only place that the good part of me will continue to live is deep in the depths of my own mind, my body now controlled by something that is entirely foreign, something that isn't _me._

I don't think that the good part of me has much time left.

Especially now that, at this very moment, I'm fighting with my friends over the fact that I just tried to _murder_ Mike.

Lucas and Dusting are _screaming_ at me, pleading and begging me to stop, to leave him alone, they're telling me that _this isn't me_ but I have no control and I just can't stop.

I must look terrible because they're both staring at me with fear in their eyes. Dustin looks terified, like he's staring into the eyes of a monster and like it'll be the last thing he'll ever see. Lucas seems angry, his dark eyes burning with rage, but he seems fearful at the same time.

I'm scared too.

Not the monster part of me, but the real part, the _actual_ me.

I can't believe I tried to kill Mike. I can't believe I hurt Eleven. I can't believe I'm about to lose my best friends for good.

They're still yelling at me as I stare at them blankly, the snow falling from the dark sky landing and melting on my numb body as I feel something stirring inside of me.

Something I can't quite place.

Their words won't stop lingering in the cold air, it's almost as though they have souls, sticking to the air and forcing themselves to be noticed for far longer than they need to be. They won't leave me alone, the words that they speak, they keep pulling and tugging at me and forcing me to hate myself more than I already do.

Then, Dustin's expression softens slightly as he begins to notice my blank expression and opaque eyes. Lucas's eyes flicker to his friend's face for a moment and he finally notices how hollow I look.

My ears are ringing, my eyes sting with icy tears and my mouth tastes like metal and all I can smell is _blood_ everywhere and I can't _focus_ on _anything_ yet the words that leave Dustin's lips next are so painful for me to even try to hear.

"Where are you, Will?"

Everything is foggy, my mind is just so hazy and Dustin's question is the only thing that I can even _try_ to focus on right now.

He's right. Where am I?

Where did I go?

My eyes flicker over to where Mike should be sitting, and yet, all I see is...

Nothing.

He's gone, the only thing left behind is his crimson blood on the white snow.

My eyes widen and Lucas and Dustin follow my gaze and when they realise Mike is gone one of them slaps me across the face and I don't know who but I deserve this.

This is all my fault. Mike is gone because I made him bleed and now he's going to be stuck in that awful place because of me.

He's been taken to the Upside Down because of my lack of control.

No one, not even the worst criminals, deserve to be in there, even for a few seconds. It's the worst kind of torture. It's cold and dark and just when you think you're at home and you're safe you realise it's only a dark echo of where your family should be with open arms, awaiting your arrival with food and a warm bed.

I nearly starved to death in there, I nearly died of the cold. I was so ready to die by the time the Demogorgan got me, I should've died. I don't deserve to live, I don't deserve a life. Especially not when it's about to be taken from me in the most awful way imaginable now.

"Will how could you?!" Lucas screams at me, breaking me out of my reverie.

"Wait, Lucas look at him..." Dustin says softly, shoving Lucas a bit. He gestures to me and stares at me with a worried expression, his blue eyes wide with concern.

Lucas takes a good look at me and his face softens when he notices the regret that paints my face.

"That wasn't you, was it Will?" He asks softly.

I shake my head in reply, my eyes still glued to the empty space where Mike should be.

That wasn't me. I would never do something like that. But, even with Mike and El gone, I'm so god damn thankful that the real me got a chance to come out, I'm so glad that Dustin and Lucas got a glimpse of that.

At least they know now that I'm being controlled by a force that's entirely within me, something that may consume my sanity for good.

I look back at their anxious faces, taking one last good look at my friends before I feel myself start to

slip

away.


	40. 038: Find Her

MIKE'S POV

My eyes open and immediately start to sting, having to adjust to the dark and the air that seems to burn like acid, a feeling that's all too familiar.

I sit up and glance around, taking in the sight of the dirty snow covered road in the same place I passed out. Everything looks the same, only I'm alone. At least, I think I'm alone.

The asphalt on the road is also far more cracked than it was a moment ago. This is so strange. Did I miss an earthquake or something?

My eyes adjust to the light, and I notice the black snaky vines that strangle the trunks of every tree and every structure, they seem to slither across the ground and wind their way through every nook and cranny, seeming to go on for miles and miles.

I force myself to stand, my body stiff from the unbearable cold, and I start to cough as I breathe in the dusty air, my lungs burning as I do so.

It's like home, only dark, and so, so cold and empty, and I realise where I have found myself.

I'm back in the Upside Down.

I try to collect my thoughts as my eyes dart around in wild confusion at my surroundings, and as I start to recall the earlier events of only moments ago

I remember.

I was bleeding, and being the middle of the night, I was bound to get taken.

I then remember that I'm not, in fact, alone in here. Other kids were taken and have been missing for days now, and I realise, only moments before me, Eleven was taken too.

My stomach lurches at the thought of her being in here again, entirely forgetting my own situation. I remember when I found her last time, after searching for a whole year, and I remember how hungry and weak she was, I wonder how she even survived a whole year in a place like this.

 _I help Eleven up from the floor and hold her in my arms. I hold her so close to me, so tightly I'm afraid she'll shatter in my arms. She feels so thin, so fragile, so_ broken _I feel terrible for not being able to do anything more than hold her._

I'm suddenly so fearful for her. Did the monster manage to get her? Is she safe? What could this experience possibly be doing to her? She was in here for a whole year after all, running from a monster, starving and cold and alone, that's not something you just forget. I was only in there for just over a week and I've been traumatised ever since.

I'm just so afraid she's in danger, and it's all my fault. It's my fault she's in here again, I'm such a screw up! Will is right, he's right to have said those things and he's right to have tried to bleed me to death. I deserve all of this, I deserve to die.

Eleven, on the other hand, deserves to be safe and warm forever, with someone who is able to protect her and keep her out of danger. _She doesn't deserve this._

I have to find her. I have to save her and make sure she never gets put in danger ever again. I can't let this keep happening. She deserves someone so much better than me, but right now, I have to protect her. I have to _find her._

And even if it takes me a century, I will never stop looking for her.

I start to walk, and even though my legs are shaky and my tears have frozen to my cheeks, I keep moving because nothing is going to stop me from finding El.

I count my steps, making my way back towards the main town, keeping track of how far I've walked through a system of counting my steps to keep my mind off of the terrible cold eating away at me.

 _1, 2, 3, 4 -_

I hear a sound

 _7, 8, 9, 10, 11 -_

I stop at that number, taking in my surroundings even though I haven't travelled very far. I strain my ears to hear a faint rustling sound, followed by a low growl which doesn't sound like any animal I've ever heard before.

I'm frozen in shock, standing completely still as I feel it's warm breath down my neck, my hair standing on end as my breathing quickens and I begin to silently sob.

Then, there's a loud screeching sound behind me, and with a loud thud whatever was about to attack me has dropped dead on the cracked asphalt beneath my feet.

I force myself to slowly turn around, my eyes slowly fixing themselves on the sight of a monster at my feet. It looks like the Demogorgan, only it's head doesn't open up quite like a flower, but is round and doesn't have what look like 'petals', but rather a permanently visible set of teeth that look ready to devour.

I stare wide eyed at it, my gaze following all the way down it's bleeding body, which is larger than that of the Demogorgan, and when I look back up at it's head again, I realise another one lying dead beside it. Multiple heads...

Like...

 _The Thessylhydra_.

Could this get anymore strange? Probably not, but I stand corrected when I look up to find a slim, dark, very human-like figure standing before me. It looks like a girl - not a girl, a _woman_ with long ash blonde hair, that almost flows like a curtain of water around her narrow shoulders. She's standing with a hand outstretched in my direction, and my heart skips a beat when she lowers it and steps closer towards me.

 _Those eyes_.

Icy blue narrow eyes that pierce right into my very soul. I'd know those eyes anywhere.

This is the girl who once tried to kill me, but is now saving my life.

This is Lilith Daniels.

This is Hawkins Lab's experiment number 012.


	41. 039: Hopper

**LUCAS'S POV**

Whatever happened between Mike and Will just moments ago, we now know that Will isn't himself.

He's obviously being controlled by something so much bigger than he can fight. Just like Mike said, he's becoming a monster. The Demogorgan obviously did something to him in that place, and he hasn't been the same since. He's getting worse as the days go by.

We've all noticed it, how he's just become so much more hectic and violent, his words are just not his own. I just can't believe we didn't realise before, right at the beginning. Mike did, but the rest of us were just to blind to see what Will was becoming. We didn't want to see.

He speaks as though his head is somewhere else, and he's somehow allowed a vicious beast to take over his seemingly small and quiet body.

It's just so confusing.

Why Will?

He's ways been the quiet small one that the bullies picked on first, the one that seemed like the weakest, like we had to protect him or something. That's just who he was. But he was honestly the best friend anyone could have, we lost him when it was too late to save him, I'm afraid he's already gone.

He's already become a monster.

Dustin and I stare at him as he gazes blankly past the both of us, his expression seemingly content for a moment before something suddenly shifts within him. He looks mad now, and I can almost feel the tension rise between us all as Dustin and I both realise what has happened.

Just as quickly as the real Will got to come out and reveal himself after so long, he managed to slip away.

Dustin and I exchange a look before stepping away, and Will looks to us with furrowed eyebrows and narrowed eyes, "I suppose we should go find the chief then," is all he says before turning around to walk away.

Even though it's not _really_ Will talking, he is right after all. We need to find Chief Hopper, and soon.

We collect our bikes and speed down the icy road, being careful not to slip just as Mike had, which had inevitably gotten both himself and El taken.

We make it back to the main part of Hawkins, and I check my watch to see how long we've even been out here for.

 _8:47pm_

My eyes widen, we've been out for ages! My mum is going to kill me!

I shake the thoughts from my mind, I'm being ridiculous. I need to focus on finding Mike and El as soon as possible. Who cares if I get in trouble! I care way more about my friends than being grounded for a week.

We make it to the police station to find that Hopper has already left, probably on his way home to find that El isn't there, or at Will's house. This is bad.

We skid back round the corner and pedal as fast as we can to make it to Will's house before Hopper can get there.

We're back down on Mirkwood, and we find ourselves at Will's house in no time at all to find Hopper getting out of his car to collect El.

"Hopper!" I scream out to him, throwing my bike to the ground after I jump off of it, nearly slipping over.

"Chief! It's an emergency!" Dustin cries, his breath fast as he stops to take a break after he gets off his bike.

Hopper turns around to face us, his face confused and somewhat angry. "Why are you boys out after dark? Haven't you heard about what's been happening? You'll get taken if you're not careful!" He says sternly, but we still persist.

"That's what we're here to talk to you about," I say, puffed out as I stop in front of him, Dustin and Will behind me.

Hopper suddenly looks very worried as he glances back at Will's front door and then at us. "it's Eleven isn't it?" He asks, his voice shaky.

He seems so much like her dad. He might as well be her dad.

"And Mike too," Dustin adds, Will continuing to stay completely silent behind us.

"What happened? Why were you all out after dark?" Hopper looks as though he's going to burst into tears, I honestly never though a big tough man like the chief was capable of crying.

He's pacing, his hands in his hair as he walks back and forth, awaiting an answer from us.

I step forward a little more, I'm going to have to tell him. "It was my idea, chief," I start, my voice shaking, "I decided it would be a good idea to go investigate what had been going on with all the kids being taken and everything. We thought we could help, especially with El, since she has powers and everything. We thought it'd be a good idea since we'd had experience with monsters and the Upside Down too, we thought we'd be okay. But..." I trail off, looking shamefully to the ground. This is my fault.

Dustin steps forward to continue my explanation, "Mike fell off of his bike, he had El on the back and she hurt herself, she started to bleed and... She got taken. Mike too."

Hopper looks furious, terrified even, but he keeps his cool. Well, he's trying to. He nods once, holding back whatever he was trying not to say or do, and he steps up to the front door of the Byers home.

He knocks on the door really loud, and within a few seconds Jonathan answers with a confused expression. He greets Hopper with a shaky and confused voice as he glances past him at all of us for a moment, his anxious gaze lingering on Will.

Hopper starts to speak, his tone flooding with a kind of authority no one would dare question, "go get your mum, we've got a couple of missing kids to go find and I think Joyce would be the perfect person for the job."

 _ **A/N: I'm so sorry guys this chapter kind of sucks, but hey if you squint reeeeaaaally hard there's a little bit of Jopper at the end so yeah. It'll get more interesting soon, especially in the next chapter, soooo much is going to be revealed. I'll see you all soon xx**_


	42. 040: Lilith

**MIKE'S POV**

There she is.

This girl, Lilith Daniels, Hawkins Lab's experiment number 012, the girl that tired to _murder_ me, is standing right here before my eyes.

Her all-too-familiar icy gaze has me locked in place as I stare at her in shock.

I knew it! She's the one who opened the gate!

She steps closer towards me, her white-blonde hair flowing like water around her angular face in time with her light steps.

She's so light, her steps making no sound as she steps down onto the broken asphalt with her worn out Chuck Taylor's.

She looks menacing as she gets closer and closer, and I get a better look at her pale face. Her lips are so full, yet almost colourless as they curve themselves into a small scowl. Her cheeks are hollow and angular, her blue eyes narrow with fury.

She's like fire and ice all at once.

She delicately lifts her hands in the air, her black sleeves falling down to reveal a small _012_ tattooed on the inside of her left wrist.

As she lifts her small hands into the air, I suddenly feel stiff and can't move. My body is frozen, I try to move, to get away, but she's locked me in place.

"How did you find me?" Her voice mimics her icy stare as her words drip like acid off of her tongue.

I try to shake my head, but I can't move.

"I- It was an accident, I was taken. I was bleeding I-"

"Shut up!" She interrupts me, and I'm left stuttering with a mess of words in my mouth, "you're looking for someone, aren't you?"

I nod in reply, and she softens up a bit, but I can still see a glint of something menacing in her eyes.

Lilith stares at me for a moment, her gaze lingering on my wide eyes before she releases me. I can move again, and I stretch out my stiff arms and bounce in the spot as I look up at her thankfully.

She narrows her eyes again, "before you run away to find Eleven, just hear me out, okay?"

I nod again, and she nods back. My small smile is then replaced by a confused expression as I wonder how she knew that I was looking for El.

"How did you know in was looking for El?" I ask her, speaking my mind.

"I can see it in your eyes," Lilith starts, her tone soft and somewhat compassionate, but there's also a hint of something I can't quite place, something I'm not sure I like, "the way that you look so desperate. You don't even care about getting hurt, you just want to find her. Only love makes you that careless. Your sights are set on finding her, you care about nothing else. You nearly died just before. That's how I knew."

I nod again, and I swear I'm nodding so much my head will drop off.

"Come on," Lilith continues, beckoning for me to follow her, "I'll help you find her and get you both out."

"What about the other kids?" I glue my feet to the floor, I don't want to give in to her offer until I know she's capable of saving everyone else first.

"Sure," she smiles, and her expression makes me uneasy.

She seems nice enough, even after everything we've been through, and I decide to follow her. It's not like I have anything to lose anyway.

We're walking back toward the main part of Hawkins, where all the shops and houses are located. I decide to make small talk, I need something to take my mind off of the unnerving cold.

"So," I start, fiddling with my fingers as I think of something to say, "was it you that opened the gate?"

I honestly want to know, I assume Lilith ca sense this because she tells me, "yes. It was me. I needed to get away from Hawkins. I guess this isn't much better but I feel like I belong here, after all."

I smile up at her, "because your mother was here? Because you were born here?"

She chuckles sarcastically, "my 'mother' was a fiction created by my father to cover up the fact that he used to work at Hawkins Lab and found me here after an experiment opened a gate to the Upside Down. He took me and ran off, he wanted to 'observe' me I guess, wanted to harness my power. I was born here, but not from a human."

I'm dumbstruck. I open my mouth to speak, but she continues, answering my unspoken question, "I'm a monster, I was made in this place to stay in this place. That's why I ran away after my 'father' told me the truth," she makes air quotes when she says the word _father,_ and something breaks inside of me, knowing she never had a real family, only a sense of not belonging.

She continues to explain her story, and I listen intently, "Brenner always knew my dad took me, he also knew that because of my dad's poor health that he wouldn't last long after breathing in the air from the Upside Down. That's why Brenner waited so long before taking me when I was 10 years old to Hawkins Lab. He wanted to bribe me, blackmail me I guess, using my father' spoke health to his advantage. He told me that if I comply to his wishes he would save my dad's life. And then after he died... You know the rest."

I'm trying to let all of this sink in, but I just can't comprehend it. Lilith looks so human. And didn't she say an experiment opened the gate when her dad found her? What's with that?

"So," I start, my footsteps echoing in the road as we grow closer to the main town of Hawkins, well, the Upside Down Hawkins anyway, "there were other people with super powers before you? People they kept at Hawkins Lab?"

Lilith smiles, "there sure were. There still are, in fact, more people they're hiding there. And one of them opened a gate when my dad found me. They need up getting stuck in here, they mutated over the long 17 years that they were here, and eventually, came to become the Demogorgan you know so well."

So that's where the Demogorgan came from. It was an experiment, it used to be a _person_. A person like El and Lilith who had powers and just caught themselves in a bad situation.

When I think about all the people, all the experiments labelled with _numbers_ in Hawkins Lab, I realise that they must all have real names like Lilith. I wonder what El's real name is. Maybe Lilith knows.

"Lilith?" I ask, and she looks down at me with ice blue eyes that almost seem warm.

"Yes, Mike?"

"What's Eleven's real name?"

She pauses for a moment, a hand on her chin as she tries to recall the name of the girl I love.

"Her name," she starts, her voice sounding almost like honey, "is Jane Ives."

 _ **A/N: wow guys I didn't mean to reveal so much in this chapter but oh well. I've made you guys wait since the start of the book to find out all of this so yeah. But did you guys think I kind of told you all too much too fast? I love keeping you all guessing but I just really wanted to tell you! Even bigger things are coming though!**_


	43. 041: Blame

DUSTIN'S POV

We all wait outside in the cold for Jonathan to go and get his mum, and all I can do while I wait is hope that the chief has a plan. I mean, we've all done this before, but this time, El is the one who's missing, so we don't exactly have her to help us.

It's so cold out here, I mean, it is snowing after all but I wish I had worn more clothes. My fingers are numb and I reckon any moment now my nose will freeze off if the rest of my teeth don't disintegrate from chattering so much first.

I look to Lucas, who's waiting impatiently, he obviously blames himself for all of this. He shouldn't, it was his idea to go out and look for clues but we all played a part in this. Mike was the one who slipped and fell off of his bike, bringing El down with him and causing her to bleed, and it was Will who made Mike bleed. Even I played a part, I agreed to this whole plan which only influenced everyone else too.

Lucas catches my gaze and I offer him a small smile, but he only returns it half heartedly. I feel so bad. He needs to know that this wasn't his fault.

"Hey," I say, gripping his shoulder, "this wasn't all your fault. Just think about it. We all put each other in trouble tonight, don't carry all the weight on your own, okay?"

He nods weakly and smiles again, and I nod once before letting go of his shoulder.

Eventually, Joyce is standing in the doorway, her gaze worried and confused when she meets Hopper's eyes. Jonathan follows behind her, his gaze caught on Will. He shrugs and shakes his head a little at Will, as though to ask "where were you?". Will looks away passively, moving his gaze over into the distance, looking beyond the trees with unfocused eyes.

Jonathan looks upset, and a little disappointed in his younger brother. I'm surprised his mum hasn't totally freaked out yet. They probably didn't even know he hadn't come home from school.

Joyce is staring in shock at Hopper, who's breath is coming out in puffs of fog in the cold air.

"W-what's going on, Jim? Is everything okay?" Joyce asks confusedly, her voice shaking slightly as she glances around at all of us with big brown eyes. She furrows her eyebrows at Will, who only stares back at her blankly.

"We've got a few missing kids," is all Hopper says, his voice just as shaky as her's was, if not more. He nervously looks at Joyce, his new "girlfriend" might I add, and all she does is look up at him with a terrified stare.

"Who? Who could have gone-" Mrs Byers stops mid-sentence as realisation sinks in, "oh my god, it's Eleven isn't it?"

Then, she looks back at us again, quite obviously scanning for Mike, "and Mike too. They're gone? What happened?"

"The monster," Hopper replies, his voice deep and husky with nervousness, "it got them. The kids went out tonight and the monster got them."

"Oh my god this is my fault," Joyce says, her hands in her hair, everyone seems to think this is their fault tonight, "I let Mike take El home this morning, he said he had therapy but I should have known he was lying. I'm so stupid! I should've been more careful!"

Hopper shakes his head, although he does look a little mad, "no it's not your fault. Mike can be pretty persuasive. He's a smart kid, and he loves that girl more than anything. He never would've intended to put her in danger, it's no ones fault."

Joyce nods a little, but she's crying now. Hopper pulls her into a tight hug and sways her side to side a little, and she's gripping at his shirt really tight. To be honest, they kind of remind me of Mike and El. Mike holds El like that, really tight while she holds onto him like he's her last source of oxygen or something. Seeing the chief and Mrs Byers like that hurts a little because God only knows what could have happened to El and Mike by now.

The chief eventually lets go of her, and he turns around to look at all of us.

"Okay," he starts, his voice full of so much authority just one word makes me scared to even breathe, "get in the car, we're going to Hawkins Lab."


	44. 042: Reality

LUCAS'S POV

We're all squeezed in the back of the Chief's car, Jonathan, Will, Dustin and me. Joyce is sitting next to Hopper in the passenger seat at the front, holding fast to his right hand while he moves the steering wheel with his left. She seems really distressed, Will's mum. I can't blame her. I mean, first she lost Will, now El too. She must feel awful.

For some reason, we're on our way to Hawkins Lab, which means we're heading down Mirkwood, past where Mike and El were taken not too long ago. As we pass the exact spot, everyone's eyes are trained on the bloodstained snow. It's been covered slightly by a new layer of fresh snow, but you can still see some of the stark Crimson against the pure white.

We pass it quickly, and I glance at Will for a moment, who seems to have a hint of remorse in his dark eyes. I'm not surprised, I mean, just before, Dustin and I managed to catch a glimpse of the _real_ Will, even if it was only for a few moments. Maybe that same Will is finally trying to fight his way past the monster attempting to take full control of him.

"So," Hopper says, shattering the silence with his deep voice which seems to be shaking with nervousness, "did you kids manage to find that gate you were looking for?"

We all sit silently, our mission proved to be worthless in the end. Mike and El got taken for nothing. Even though Dustin assured me that it wasn't my fault, I still feel as though if I hadn't tried to be a hero and drag all of my friends along too, Mike and El would still be safe.

But I guess everything happens for a reason. Maybe something good will come out of this. Maybe this will become incentive for the _real_ Will to fight for himself. I wonder if he even fought in the first place. I feel like he would have, but maybe he gave up. Maybe this will motivate him to take himself back from the monster that's trying so desperately to destroy him.

"I'll take your silence as a no," the chief says breathlessly. I can see Joyce's grip tightening on his hand, she must _really_ want to find them both. If not for herself then for Hopper. She really loves El, and so does Hopper. And who doesn't love Mike? Joyce has known him for years, he's like a second son to her. Well, we all are. We're always together, the four of us, now five of us including El. If we aren't in Mike's basement we're at Will's place. Joyce is so used to having us around its like we're all her kids, it's no wonder she's desperate to find El and Mike.

We all are.

"We could use our compasses," Dustin suggests, his words getting caught in the gap between his teeth as he speaks, "the magnetic field messes with the compass so-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know how it works you've done it before," Hopper interrupts hastily.

He apologises quickly to Dustin in case he came off as rude, but to be honest, we're all pretty understanding. Two kids going missing can stress you out pretty easily.

We all sit in silence again for a little while, until Will speaks up, his voice cracking with every syllable, "why are we going to Hawkins Lab?"

I watch Hopper's jaw tighten in the rear view mirror, "we need to pick up some protective gear."

"How are we gonna get in? Don't they have pretty heavy security now after everything that's happened in the last few years. They only just finished rebuilding it," I say quickly.

Hopper nods, looking at me in the mirror briefly before diverting his eyes back to the road. His expression darkens slightly and Joyce looks over to him expectantly, urging him to speak. "You should tell them," she says quietly, "they deserve to know after everything they've been through."

He nods again, his grip tightening on the steering wheel, "after Eleven disappeared," he starts, his eyes somewhat distant, "Dr Martin Brenner forced me into working for him for a short while. He made me investigate the middle school over and over to search for any signs of finding Eleven, he questioned me, he did all kinds of stuff I didn't like. But I had to do it, or else he said he'd take Will away from Joyce, to... To _study_ him. He said as long as I comply to his wishes and do everything I can to find Eleven for him, he'd leave Will alone. I knew I loved Joyce then, I couldn't let that happen to her, and I couldn't let Will be separated from his Mum again. I had to do as he said. So, because I was working for Brenner, I had access to everything that might allow me to find Eleven, including protective gear for the Upside Down."

We all nod, trying to let all of this information sink in. Hopper was working for Brenner and none of us knew except Joyce. There seems to be a lot that goes on that none of us really know about.

We eventually make it to the Lab, and Hopper parks a fair distance away from the fence. He can get in easily he said, it's just a matter of getting past everyone that works there, like scientists and security guards and stuff. Then he just has to steal some gear and get out. He said he'd never take us to that place without protective clothing because the air burns like acid and he doesn't want to risk it.

He steps out of the car and tells us to wait for him, and so we all just watch as he runs up to the fence and makes his way around to the other side until we can no longer see him.

This is going to be a long night.


	45. 043: She Keeps Me Sane

**MIKE'S POV**

Lilith and I eventually make it to the main part of the Upside Down Hawkins, where all of the shops and buildings are cooped up together on the edge of the woods on the opposite side of the road. Everything looks the same as home, only everything is broken and dark and black brittle vines snake their way around everything.

It's hard to see through the murky air that feels like acid to breathe in, and I start to wonder what this air might be doing to me, since I have found myself now breathing it in for a second time in my life. Probably not good things, that's for sure.

I start to cough involuntarily, and my mouth starts to taste metallic and dry. Lilith giggles quietly beside me, and I look to her with questioning eyes.

She glances at me and smiles warmly, "this air must burn in your lungs, but it has no effect on me at all. How curious."

I furrow my eyebrows, "that's because you were born here, that's not curious at all... You were made to breathe this air, you're a-"

"A monster," she cuts me off, her voice no longer sounding like honey.

"I'm sorry," I say hastily, "I didn't mean to offend you."

"I know," she replies quietly, her voice somewhat distant now, "I just don't like to be reminded of what I am. I would much like to feel normal."

I look to the ground, "El feels that way too. But I suppose that's not really her name is it?"

Lilith shakes her head, "no, it's not _really_ her name. But she's never been called Jane to her face her entire life, that name was given to her by her mother. The only people in this whole world who know her real name are Brenner, Jane's mother and family, me and now you too. She herself doesn't even know her actual name. Everyone else knows her by the name El, the name you gave her, and she seems to like it. So I guess that's her _real_ name, at least to her."

I smile at my sneakers. I like to think that El likes the name I gave her. I remember when I first asked her what her name was, she told me _Eleven_ and seemed ashamed by it.

She knew it wasn't normal. She knew that she, at least to the scientists at Hawkins Lab, was nothing but a number. I knew that, that made her feel more like an object rather than a person, so hastily, I suggested we call her El, for short. I remember how she smiled up at me, and that first time I ever saw her smile made me feel all giddy inside. Even now, her smile still does that to me.

"You're thinking about her, aren't you?" Lilith asks quietly, breaking the silence between us.

I nod, still grinning sillily at the ground, "I haven't stopped thinking about her since the day I met her. I think that the thought of her is what keeps me sane."

Lilith sighs, and I can almost feel her smiling beside me, "it's amazing how someone so young can feel so much emotion. You're what, fourteen?"

"Fifteen," I reply with a smile.

"Fifteen, my, my. So young yet so in love. You seem to love her more than life itself," she states breezily.

"I do," I state simply, "I think I'd die without her."

"Then we'd better hurry up and find her," she smiles down at me, and I grin up at her. I'd almost forgotten what happiness felt like, it's amazing how the thought of Eleven can do that to me, make me feel like life is worth living even when she isn't around.

I'm suddenly worried about her. Deep inside me, I know that she's alive, but she could be hurt. She's probably scared out of her mind, God only knows what being in this place again could be doing to her.

We're walking down my street, well, my Upside Down street, and I suggest to Lilith that we check my house. She nods at me with a smile, and I run up to my front door, pulling it open with all of my strength. The black vines breaking and letting off a kind of black dust into the air as they are broken.

"El!" I call, yelling into the empty cold air that leaves my house feeling so much less like home.

I pad across the kitchen, into the living room, noticing how dead and deserted my home looks when all it is is a Upside Down copy of my real house.

I can hear a soft sound coming from above me, sort of like a creaking sound, and when I strain my ears, I can hear a quiet hum that sounds almost like someone sobbing. Everything kind of echoes in this place, so when the soft sounds are repeated back to me in this place, I begin to notice these are the sobs of a girl.

Lilith is standing in the room with me, and she must have heard the sounds too, because she's looking at me wide eyed and urging me to go up the stairs.

I nod once before running up the stairs, calling El's name over and over.

I eventually make it up the stairs, and I stand in the hall, frantically looking around and straining my ears to hear the sobbing once more.

Then, I hear it again, slightly louder than before because I am closer now. I step in the direction of my bedroom, and when I find the door slightly ajar, I manage to sneak a glance inside before I open the door.

I can see the figure of a girl, dark in the dim light and murky air. I can see her short hair, dark and messy with stress, her entire body trembling as she hugs herself while she sits on my bed crying. She's humming a tune, but you can barely tell through her sobs.

I step inside, opening the creaky door and moving toward the girl slowly.

She turn her head towards me, and when her chocolate eyes meet mine this entire dark world lights up and I feel like I'm flying. My breath quickens, and in this moment I feel like I did the night I found her in the woods. She looks wild and afraid, and I'm full of curiosity and awe, but there's something else stirring within me this time.

Love.

There she is, in front of me, her face glazed in a layer of dirt, her tears leaving pink tracks down her cheeks. A smile creeps onto her plump lips and just like all of those other times she's ever smiled for me my insides are aflutter and I feel giddy.

"El! It's you!"

I run towards her, taking her small trembling body into my arms and finding that once again, she feels so small beneath me, which is always so surprising to me. I'm holding her so tight I'm worried she'll break, my head is buried in her dirty clothes where her heart would be, and I'm swaying her side to side and I'm sobbing into her shirt and I'm just so happy to see her alive and okay.

I suddenly shower her in kisses, I'm kissing her all over her face and she's giggling hysterically.

"Mike," she says, her voice light yet so broken, "you found me."

"Of course I found you, El," I say, my vision blurred as I stare at her, "I will always find you."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

 _ **A/N: ayyyyye they're together again! Did you guys like my little Once Upon a Time reference at the end? There are really big things to come, so prepare your hearts for some shattering okay? Hahahaha, anyway, what do you guys think of Lilith (012)? Earlier on in the story she was totally evil and working for Dr Brenner, now she's all nice and helping Mike find his true love *swoons* id love to know what you guys think of her**_ ❤️❤️❤️


	46. 044: Breaking In

**HOPPER'S POV**

Getting into the lab isn't too hard, Brenner gave me a key card to use to get in and out, as long as I was helping to find Eleven for him.

I get in easily, swiping my card to get inside. Everything is really clean, the tiles in the floor perfectly white and it smells like fresh paint. I'm surprised they didn't disable my card after Brenner died, who's even running this place now?

The halls are mostly empty, some scientists don't even acknowledge me as they scurry through the halls staring at their clipboards, their lab coats stained in what looks like blood. What is even happening here now? Are there more experiments like Eleven?

I get to the other end of the hall and take a left, just like I remember. I find my way to the room where they keep their hazmat suits, and it isn't surprising when I find they don't have any smaller sizes for the kids.

I'm flipping through each suit, searching for the smallest sizes, my fingers running over the smooth plastic material carefully. I finally find some smaller ones, and I pick up three of those and then collect three larger sizes for Joyce, Jonathan and myself.

I scurry out of the room hastily and find myself met with two unfamiliar faces. There's two men in front of me, both dressed in stained lab coats.

"Who are you?" One of the says, he's sort of old looking, maybe in his late forties, his dark hair speckled with strands of grey and his tired grey eyes wrinkled at the corners.

"Chief Hopper," I say smartly, offering a sarcastic smirk as I punch him square in the face. He stumbles back onto the floor, and hastily wipes the blood from his nose.

The younger man tried to restrain me, calling for help, but I easily escape his grip. He's wearing glasses, at least he _was_ anyway, because they get knocked off when I begin to scurry away, clutching the suits in my arms.

I run down the hall, and there are alarms going off, and I get outside quickly enough. I can hear footsteps on the concert behind me, and I quickly make it outside of the fence, sliding the gate closed behind me.

I run through the grass and back around to my car, sliding into the drivers seat and passing the suits to the kids in the back. I don't even bother buckling up as I start the car and drive away from the lab hastily, everyone in the car gaping at me.

They're asking questions like _what happened? Is everything okay?_ But I just ignore their questions as I drive away speedily and possibly unsafely.

"Joyce, there's a compass in the compartment just next to you. Get it out - quickly - we need to get those kids out fast, I wouldn't bet on being alone in that place after I was just caught by the scientists in that damned lab," I say to Joyce, no even looking at her as I point to the compartment between us.

She opens it up and digs through all of the junk and eventually pulls out the compass with shaky fingers. She passes it to me and I glance at it before swinging the car around and nearly hitting a tree. Everyone screams but I swerve, weaving through the trees and following the direction of the compass.

I'm driving through the woods without headlights, to avoid being seen, which is obviously unsafe but it's the only thing I can think to do to buy us some time. There's no doubt that we're going to be followed soon.

The compass starts going crazy after we reach massive tree, it's huge. I assume that the gate it here, so I drive the car around to a large bush and order everyone to get out and start getting dressed.

While everyone is getting ready I cover the car with leaves from the ground to try and hide it a little better before getting dressed myself.

Everyone is pulling on there suits, the kids needing a little help with fastening their helmets and oxygen tanks. I don't even know how I managed to carry all of this out of the lab, I guess desperation really does make you stronger.

I eventually get into my suit, and I order everyone to follow me to the tree, and just as I suspected, there's a large hole at the bottom, a disgusting gaping mess of ooze and cobwebs.

"Okay everyone," I say, trying to speak with as much authority as I can muster, "try not to shit your pants, but we're going in and we're gonna get these kids out alive."

 **A/N: sorry this was kind of short and really bad but big things are coming soon. I just don't have a lot of inspiration at the moment and I didn't want to keep you guys waiting for too long. I love you all** ❤️❤️❤️


	47. 045: Trust

**MIKE'S POV**

"El," I say through sobs, holding her close to me as we sit on the carpet of my bedroom, my Upside Down bedroom anyway, "you're okay, I'm so glad you're okay."

She's grasping at my clothes, just like she always does, clinging to me so tightly her knuckles turn white. Her body is so cold, she feels like a block of ice, her skin prickled with goosebumps as she grasps at me with icy fingers. She still sobbing, so I just sit here with her in my arms as she cries on me. I can't imagine what this experience is doing to her.

"M-Mike," she says quietly, her voice quivering as she mumbles my name into my chest, "I want to go home."

"I know," I say, smoothing her dark hair, "I know, I want to go home too. Lilith is here, she's going to help us."

I look to Lilith hopefully, who's standing in the doorway with a blank expression. She stares down at us with a menacing sort of glint in her eyes, and it makes me suddenly uncomfortable. She doesn't look like she did a moment ago, the warmth she once held has left her entirely now, she's nothing but cold. All of this ice is leaving me frozen in fear. What is going on?

My hopeful smile seems to disappear from my lips, leaving my face looking almost scared, but I have to be brave. For El.

"Right, Lilith?" I ask hopefully, El peeling herself away from me to look up at her.

"Sure," she says, offering us a sly smile.

El holds onto me tighter, and I can understand why. The tension in the room just rose considerably. What is happening? What is Lilith up to?

"Well if the two of you want to get out of here, I'd better show you where the gate is," she says, starting to leave. I scurry upwards and help El stand, holding onto her hands to steady her on her weak legs.

We start to walk, and El stumbles, and I realise that breathing this air is only making her weak. She was in here for a whole year after all, it's probably taken a huge toll on her body to be here again. Not to mention her leg, which she hurt when she fell from my bike. A pang of guilt suddenly hits me, this is my fault once again.

"Do you want me to carry you?" I say quietly, looking at El with concerned eyes. When I look at El's face, I notice the trickles of dried blood coming from both her nostrils and ears, and she is deathly pale, she's definitely drained.

She nods slowly, squeezing her eyes shut before forcing a smile, she looks like she's in pain.

After that night at the middle school, when I couldn't carry her, I made sure to make myself stronger so I would be able to. I felt so guilty about not being able to be the one to carry her to safety, to be her knight in shining armour I guess. I just felt awful.

I sweep Eleven up off of the floor, hooking my arm under her legs and the other arm on her back. I find that she is much lighter than I anticipated. I hold her in my arms, bridal style, and she rests her head on my shoulder.

I can feel her cold breath on my neck, quick and sharp, and I'm suddenly scared she'll freeze to death. I put her down on the bed for a second and pull off my jacket to wrap it around her before I pick her up again, heading for the door. El whimpers in my arms and I realise she's trying to speak.

"M-Mike," she whispers quietly as I slowly walk down the stairs, the wooden boards creaking beneath my sneakers with every step, "I don't t-trust her."

"I know, El," I say with the most comforting voice I can muster, "neither do I but... She's our only chance at getting out. I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

I smile down at her warmly, but somehow my guilt must have seeped into my broken smile, because El looks sort of hurt when I try to comfort her.

"I-it wasn't y-your fault, Mike," she whispers, her voice small and broken, "it w-wasn't your fault."

My smile disappears and I look forward sadly, it was my fault. It always is.

El squeezes her eyes shut and I realise she's trembling. I try to hold her closer to me, attempting to keep her warm. I notice that Lilith is waiting for us, and her gaze is kind of distant as she looks around at her surroundings, her eyes make her seem like she's in a far off place away from here, maybe that's where she wants to be. Away from here.

Her blue eyes sort of glow in the dim light, giving her a naturally eerie appearance, like she's of another world. I guess she is, really. I mean, she came from this place, the cold, dark, emptiness of the Upside Down, an alternate world away from my own. She's different, maybe that's what's so strange about her. She like an alien, she doesn't fit into my world. She stands out because she's not like the others, maybe that's what's so weird.

Maybe I'm just telling myself all of this because I'm trying to give myself reasons to trust her, because deep down I know that I don't, not truly anyway. She _was_ raised as a human, she has complete human capabilities, she has feelings, emotions, she just has a little bit extra, I guess. She's got... Other capabilities, she's... A monster. But then... How can I trust a monster? How can I expect El to trust a monster?

Lilith is our only chance at escape. And even though my gut tells me not to trust her, we need to play along. Even if it means we have to run away when things get bad. I'm getting El out of this alive.

Even if it costs me my own life.


	48. 046: Power

**MIKE'S POV**

I'm following Lilith through the empty streets of Upside Down Hawkins while El sleeps peacefuly in my arms. I'm not going to lie, my arms are getting kind of tired, but this is no time to rest. I need to get El home.

"It's just through here," Lilith says, pointing towards the Middle School. The Middle School? I doubt the gate would be in there. I mean, that would explain the two kids _from_ the Middle School going missing but I'm sure that a lot more than two kids would have disappeared if they found the gate in the school. It just doesn't make sense.

El was right, my gut feeling was right, we can't trust her.

Then, I remember something, "what about the other kids? You said you'd help us find them too."

I raise my eyebrows at Lilith, the corner of my mouth turning upwards sneakily, and she sort of scowls at me, but quickly covers it up with a warm sort of smile. At least, she's trying to.

"Yeah," she says, her voice sounding kind of confused, like she'd forgotten, "I hadn't forgotten, they're... Just in here, that's why I'm taking you here of course."

She acts as though I should have known. "But you said you were taking us to the gate. What are you hiding?" I ask coolly.

Eleven stirs in my arms and wakes up. I've stopped walking, and Lilith stands in front of us with her arms folded across her chest, her black sleeves bunching up at the elbows to reveal pale arms.

"If you want to get out of here," she says, her tone sort of angry, "you need to come with me."

"But you're lying," I fire back, making El more alert, "the gate isn't in there, and neither are those kids. You're lying, what're you trying to do?!"

Suddenly, I'm pushed back onto the ground, causing El to fall on top of me. She screams, clinging to me as we hit the asphalt.

"You made a bad choice defying me, Michael Wheeler," Lilith says, holding her claw like hands out in front of her.

I'm holding El's small body in my arms, comforting her as she tries to collect herself when suddenly, El is peeled off of me, and when I look up, she's hovering in the air above me. She's kicking and screaming, and when I look to Lilith I notice her concentrated eyes and her hands still outstretched in front of her, she's using her powers on us.

I notice a trickle of fresh blood leave El's nose and I realise she's trying to fight against Lilith's powers, but it's taking a toll on her. She begins to grow tired, her movements becoming slower, and I notice the tears rolling down her cheeks.

I stand up quickly, nearly stumbling, and I run up to Lilith and try to shove her. I'm screaming as she stops me with her powers, her hand pointed in my direction while the other still pointed at a hysterical Eleven in the air. I'm trying to fight Lilith as I'm frozen in place, and I'm starting to find it hard to breathe.

"D-don't do this!" I manage to say, struggling against the force of Lilith's powers.

"I already have," she replies slyly, her focus still on El who is slowly becoming more and more drained.

I feel my feet lift from the ground, and I'm level with El now, who is looking at me with pleading eyes.

"I'll get us out of this, El," I say reassuringly, "don't worry, I'll make sure you get out of this alive!"

She starts to cry more, her vision blurred by tears, and Lilith must have heard me because she says in a menacing tone, "oh, you'll surely try."

She pulls us along behind her, as though we were on a leash, into the hall of Hawkins Middle School. And when we get inside, I realise that Lilith wasn't lying.

Sitting in the middle of the hall are three kids, one girl who looks slightly older than El and I, who must have come from our school, and she's comforting two younger kids, a boy and a girl, who must have come from Hawkins Middle.

The older girl stands up, her auburn hair a knotty mess that falls around her shoulders limply. Her dark eyes are wild as she stares at Lilith, her dirt caked face clean only in two streaks down we pink cheeks which I assume are tear tracks.

She runs up to Lilith, crying, but Lilith freezes her in place, "please, Lily, don't leave us here! Set us free! This isn't you!"

She's screaming for Lilith to let them go, but Lilith just laughs, "you're wrong Mary, this is me. I already told you, the _Lily_ you once knew is gone, I'm not that girl anymore, I never was."

Lilith strides past this Mary girl, who really is quite distraught, and dumps Eleven and I right in the middle of the hall right next to the other to younger kids who are in tears.

Lilith drops us to the ground quite harshly, and El shrieks when she hits the ground. I stumble upwards and run over to El, holding her close and trying to sooth her.

I catch a glimpse of the other two kids, the boy, who looks about 13, has light brown hair and green eyes, his face sort of round with freckles dusting his cheeks.

The younger girl, who looks about 11 years old, has curly blonde hair and striking blue eyes, and she's wearing a pink dress, which kind of reminds me of how we dressed up El that day back when Will went missing. It leaves a pang if sadness in my heart, to reminisce about those days when our problems weren't as bad as this. I just hope I'll be strong enough to get El out of this alive.

Lilith leaves us all behind in the hall, shutting the door behind her and locking it. The older girl, Mary, falls to her knees and starts to cry hysterically on the floor.

Then, I look up.

The lights are flickering.


	49. 047: End (Part 1)

**WILL'S POV**

My head is a wreck.

I'm screaming, trying to reach towards the light, but no one can hear me. They all think I'm a monster, a terrible, horrible monster and no one is willing to save me from myself.

Who am I anymore?

I'm not Will.

I'm not a monster.

I'm stuck in the middle between reality and monstrosity and only now have I realised that I want to escape the latter.

At first, I didn't care, I didn't think I was strong enough and I let myself slip. But now, I realise I have something to live for.

I do love Eleven, with all of my heart. But what I did to her wasn't really me, it was the monster, all because I couldn't be strong enough to save my own sanity and I let myself slip.

Now, I'm following Chief Hopper, my mum, Jonathan, Dustin and Lucas through a disgusting hole in a tree, and I'm panicking.

I can't go back in there.

I just can't. But I have to, _I have to do this_ or El and Mike will die, and I get let that happen.

I can feel myself slipping, my mind, my sanity, but I just have to hold on a little longer, only for a little while and then it will be all over. Then I can finally rest.

My protective suit is too big for my small body, especially since I lost so much weight, I'm almost swimming in the material.

I'm sliding all around on the ground as I crawl through the hole, my knees and hands sticking and sliding in the slime and cobwebs. I can hear Dustin up ahead of me muttering, "ew, ew, ew, ew, ew..."

I'm trying to focus on something else while I crawl, like the way that my breath fogs up on the glass of my helmet when I breathe, I just watch it appear and fade as I breathe in and out, all the way to the other side.

"We're nearly there, just a little more," I hear Hopper call from up ahead, his deep voice distracting me from my thoughts. I guess it's good not to leave me alone with my own thoughts though, is it?

We make it to the other side, and we all stand up, taking in our surroundings. It all looks the same as when we entered the gate, only it's...

Dark and cold and empty...

 _"Where are you?" Joyce called to her son through the wall, which had seemingly opened a window between the mother and son, "where are you, Will? Where can I find you?"_

 _"It's like home," Will pleaded, hoping his mother would find him, "but it's cold and dark and empty, it's so empty!"_

 _"I will find you! But now you need to run!" Joyce screamed, banging her fists on the wall in frustration as her son disappeared from her sight._

Taking in my surroundings is only bringing back memories I'd hoped to forget, I'm worried this experience will trigger something within me and awaken the monster I'm so desperately trying to suppress now. It's bad enough my friends have figured it out, what I my mum and Jonathan did too?

I look to Dustin and Lucas, who are staring wide-eyed in horror at the mess that is the Upside Down.

"So this is the Upside Down?" Lucas mutters to himself, "well, shit."

We start to walk, Hopper yelling orders back at us to make sure we don't get lost or taken, but I'm not really listening.

As we get closer to the main town, everyone starts calling for Mike and El, screaming their names in hopes of finding them, and to Lucas and Dustin's surprise, I start calling for them too.

My shoes are making an irritating sound as I walk on the dry, sticky leaves, a sound that is all too familiar. Everything about this place is familiar, I'm just glad I'm not breathing in this air again. I was just about dead when Hopper and Mum found me here, I wonder how El survived for so long.

I remember lying down inside Castle Byers, holding myself together as I sobbed, trying to sing to myself with my broken voice.

" _Should I stay or should I go now, should I stay or should I go now, come on and let me know, should I stay or should I go."_

I hate to think about it. We eventually make it to the main town, and Hopper stops us to speak, "so where should we look? Any suggestions for where we should go first?"

I completely ignore him, I can hear something else.

I strain my ears, _footsteps._

We aren't alone.

"Footsteps," I say aloud, and everyone turns to me. The others mustn't have heard, it makes sense because my senses have become somewhat heightened since I returned from this place.

"What?" Hopper says, his tone confused.

"Footsteps," I repeat, glancing around to find the source of the sound.

Then, out from amongst the trees is a slender figure, a girl, with ash blonde hair that curtains her shoulders like a sleek waterfall. My eyes widen when the dim light reaches their face, revealing sharp features and icy blue eyes.

"It seems we have more guests joining our search party for the missing children today," she says her tone acidic and menacing, "shall I take you to them?"

She gestures towards the town, and everyone just stares at her, dumbstruck.

What the hell is Twelve doing in the Upside Down?


	50. 048: End (Part 2)

**A/N: this chapter will be written in three parts, so the next chapter will be the final one for the whole book. I'm so so sorry this has taken me so long to write, I'm just running out of inspiration an I feel terrible for not being able to write. I've tried to make this as good as it can be, but I'm trying to write about three books at once and trying to figure out a plot for another, and doing all of that whilst trying to keep up with everything outside of wattpad is just really hard for me. Im going to try to get the next chapter up tomorrow or the day after, I feel so bad for keeping you guys waiting. I'm so sorry guys, I hope these last few chapters will make up for it.** ❤️❤️❤️

 **MIKE'S POV**

She left us to die.

It was all a trap, Lilith was only nice to me to coax me into trusting her so she could pull something like this, she's left us for the other monsters, and god only knows what they want with us.

I'm sitting on the floor with El between my legs, rocking her back and forth in an attempt to comfort her. She's still sobbing, and so am I.

I still need to save her. I made a promise and I swore to myself that I wouldn't break it. I need to get her out alive.

I stand up, sitting El on the ground in a comfortable position, and when I start to leave she begins reaching for me, grasping at the air and calling my name.

"It's okay, El," I say in a sugary sort of voice, smoothing her hair to try and calm her, "I'm only looking for a way out, I'll be right back."

I start to walk away again but Mary's voice interrupts me, "there's no point, we've already tried."

She walks up to me, and I notice that she's a few centimetres shorter than I am, but she's definitely older than me, her face is very mature. Her auburn hair is a tangled mess around her freckled face, her dark eyes glistening beneath her fringe. She's wearing a black sweater and faded blue jeans and white ballet flats which, if you hadn't _really_ looked very hard, you wouldn't be able to tell that they are supposed to be white, they're so ruined.

"We're locked in here," she starts explaining, glancing around at the mostly empty room, "Lily used to be my friend, when we were little. Then one day, she disappeared and never came back the same. Now she's locked us in here and left us to be the monsters' lunch."

 _Lily._

That's must be Lilith's nickname. But now she doesn't go by Lily, she goes by her full name. I never really knew _Lily_ , but if what Mary says is true, then Lilith may never be the girl she used to be. Perhaps she's struggling with identity, she's like an alien in our world, but from what I've heard from this girl, Mary, Lilith never used to be that way. Whatever Brenner did to Lilith in Hawkins Lab, it's definitely change her. Ruined her.

I sit back down beside El, letting her rest her head on my shoulder. Her sobs have slowed, they're more like tearless sniffles now. I catch a glimpse of the other little girl staring at us, her blue eyes trained on El.

"What's your name?" She says, looking up at me, her small voice matching her entire self completely. She's so little, she seems very young, but I can tell by her face that she is about 11 years old.

"My name is Michael, but you can call me Mike," I reply with a small smile, trying to ease the tension. Maybe a conversation with a little girl like her will ease my mind.

"Mike," she echoes quietly, "my name is Ally."

She smiles really big, despite the year tracks staining her dirty cheeks. I smile back, the look on her face warming my heart. She isn't that young, really, but something about her makes me feel comfortable, like she's still innocent. She has this aura, like a small child with the eyes of an adult, she's wise but sweet all the same.

"That's a nice name," I reply to Ally, the older boy with the green eyes shuffling over next to her.

"What's her name?" Ally asks, pointing towards El, who seems to be asleep on me.

"This is El," I say, smiling down at a dozing El at my side.

Ally smiles at her sweetly, and then glances over at the boy next to her.

He smiles a little at Ally before glancing back at El and I. "I'm Joshua," he says confidently, pointing towards himself. He seems to be putting on an act of bravery, trying to make himself seem less scared, which is completely understandable when you think about it. At 13, I wanted to seem brave too. I hated to look afraid in the face if danger, I still do. But the drying tears on his cheeks and tired eyes are unmistakable. He's afraid.

"Hi Joshua," I smile at him, yet behind his smiling face I notice the dullness behind his green eyes. He must miss his home. I can tell.

"So you're Mike? Byers's friend?" He asks me, his tone more questioning now.

I nod, "yeah, I am."

"I know him, I met him once or twice when he was going to Hawkins Middle. I saw you with him and a few other boys a few times. Are they your friends too?"

I nod again.

"Thought so, I knew I'd seen you somewhere. I remember when Will went missing, he never came back the same."

"No," I reply almost sadly, "he didn't."

Mary had been listening to our conversation, and after my final statement she began to stride over to us, seating herself next to Joshua, so we're all sitting in a sort of circle.

We talk a little while longer, and I feel the tension start to leave the room, despite the pain of breathing this air, but everyone seems to be coping, or at least trying.

Every once in a while, the lights flicker and we all jump a bit, but something is telling me that Lilith is keeping the monsters from us, at least only for now.

Then, we all turn out head towards the door in unison, the sound of the creaking distracting us all and putting us on edge. We stand up quickly, El even wakes up, and what I see next makes me feel a mixture of fear and utter happiness.

Six figures clad in yellow suits and helmets step cautiously into the room, their breathing reminding me almost of Darth Vader. I catch a glimpse of each of their faces as they come closer and when I realise who they are, I jump up and run towards them in delight, dragging El along with me.

El quickly catches on and runs along beside me, our hands entwined tightly. I throw my arms around Dustin and Lucas at the same time, El running towards Hopper and Joyce who envelope her happily, we're all full of relief.

Will is standing alone, his face painted in true, genuine sadness.

Lucas and Dustin pull away, looking at me sadly.

"The real Will is in there," Lucas whispers so quietly I have to strain my ears to hear him. I knit my eyebrows together and glance back and forth between Dustin and Lucas in confusion. Lucas glances at Will.

"That's him, that's the _real_ Will. But I'm not sure how long he's willing to stay."

I understand now. Will has finally decided to start fighting for himself. Let's just hope he wins.


	51. 049: The Vanishing of Will Byers

**ELEVEN'S POV**

I don't know when or how, but somehow, everyone I love an care about is suddenly here, in the Upside Down, and I have no idea whether to feel ecstatic or afraid. Were they taken? No, they found a way in, they're all wearing yellow suits from Hawkins Lab, but how did they get those?

Never mind that, they made it here safely, and now they're here to save us. I look around at all of their faces, to Hopper, who looks so happy to see me which warms my heart immensely. I look to Joyce, who is in tears, happy tears that match the joyful smile on her face. I look to Dustin and Lucas, who are embracing Mike happily, laughter filling the air around them. I look to Jonathan, who's standing with his mum and Hopper, looking down at me with a wide smile. I look to Mike, who keeps glancing at me excitedly, which makes me feel more than loved. Lastly, I find my eyes falling on Will, who looks kind of sad.

After everything I've been through with a monster stuck inside Will, I know better than to assume that that monster is present at this time. Will's eyes look tired as he stares at all of us sadly, longing for the love we all share.

He's lost everything to this monster, he never deserved any of this. Because of this monster which he's trying so very hard to fight, he may never live a normal life again. He may never grow up and get married, he may never have children of his own in fear of something bad happening to them. He may never even graduate high school, every day he grows more and more broken, he's dying and he knows it.

All of this convinces me to peel myself away from Hopper and Joyce, and I run over to Will and wrap my arms around his body. He's sort of taken aback, but he hugs me back, and not in a way that makes me feel uncomfortable. In fact, his touch is sort of calming, I'm glad I am finally able to make friends with the real Will, after waiting for two whole years, maybe even longer. The first time I met him was when I spoke to him when he was in the Upside Down, and it's kind of ironic to be back here again, in this place, making real friends with him now.

"I forgive you," I whisper to him, hoping he's able to hear me over all of the laughter and screams of joy. He must have heard me, because his shoulders start to shake and he begins to cry. Even through the fogged glass of his mask, I can see the tears staining his cheeks. He feels remorseful, he feels regret, and I'm no longer afraid of the Will in front of me, I know now that none of us can let him fight alone. I know now, that Will isn't evil, he's just trying to fight away whatever is taking over his mind. He needs to be supported, helped, understood. But most of all, he needs to be loved. He can't be alone any longer.

Mike, Dustin and Lucas make their way over to us, and we all embrace each other in a group hug. Will is still crying, and I am too, real joyful tears, but we all hug and hold each other in a way that makes us all feel safe and loved, which I think is what Will needed the most.

Joyce, Hopper and Jonathan eventually make their way over after making sure the other three kids are safe, bringing them over with them. We're all still hugging, laughing, smiling more than I've ever seen any of us smile before. It's an amazing feeling, and I finally feel as though we can all be safe, even if it's only for a minute, we can all be normal again.

Suddenly, we are all pulled apart by a great force, and when I look up through the blurriness of my tears, I see a figure dressed in black with hair the colour of white gold. When my vision clears, I see Lilith standing before us, her hands stretched out towards us like claws and I find myself trying to make my way over to Mike who has been pushed away to the other side of the room.

Without saying a word, Lilith holds me in place, along with everyone else, and I begin screaming for Mike, who is struggling to sit upright on the dirty floorboards. Even Joyce and Hopper are restrained, struggling against the force of Lilith's powers.

Mike is trying to reach out to me, but he's metres away, his hands so far from mine as I reach for him as well. We're both screaming for each other, we're like two parts of one soul torn apart and aching for each other. I look to Lilith with tears in my eyes, and I notice that, even though she's far stronger than me, she's beginning to get drained. I can see a drop of blood escape her nose, I can see just how pale she's becoming, all of the colour disappearing from her cheeks.

Maybe now is the time to defeat her, and it's almost as though Will has read my mind, because he pushes Lilith to the ground, breaking her concentration and pulling us all out of her restraints. I run to Mike, and we embrace briefly before we both run to Will.

I nod at Will and we both use our powers to hold Lilith down while everyone runs out of the room by Will's orders. Mike and Joyce are hesitant to leave, but we assure them we'll just make sure that Lilith is no longer a threat to us before we follow them to the gate. Mary and the two younger kids follow them out, and it's just Will, Lilith and I left in the room of flickering lights.

In unison, Will and I lift our arms and while he holds her down, I use my power to break Lilith's arm. She screams in agony, but after everything she's put us through, I feel no remorse. I even take it as far to breaking her neck. I flick my head to the side, feeling my hair flick up on my head, and Lilith's neck snaps, a cracking sound echoing through the dusty air.

I breathe heavily, taking in large gulps of acidic air as blood drips from my nose and ears. Will keeps me from falling, but I can see through my blurred vision the blood that slides from his nose as well. Through his mask I notice how pale he is, and I realise that using his powers is taking a huge toll on him, and is probably making it difficult to take the monster inside of him, as his powers are definitely not a human trait to say the least.

He helps me stand up straight, and I take one last look at Lilith's limp body on the floor before Will takes off his helmet and places it over my head. I can finally breathe properly, the air purified by the filters in the helmet, just as Papa had told me once. I look to Will with worried eyes, but he just smiles sweetly and takes my arm and puts it over his shoulder.

He walks me out of the school hall and into the streets, where I can hear footsteps and low growls in the distance. We're lucky that our footsteps are light enough not to be heard, and the blood has dried thanks to the dryness of the air, so the monsters won't smell it, hopefully.

Will leads me into the woods, and we weave through trees and through tall patches of sticky grass until we eventually make it to a tall tree, where the rest of our group is waiting impatiently.

Mike runs toward me, taking me in his arms and holding me tight against him. He sees that I'm weak and lifts me up into his arms, hooking his arm under my knees with the other supporting my back, and I relax immediately.

"C'mon guys, let's go! This place gives me the creeps!" Dustin shout-whispers, beckoning us toward the gate. Mike walks forward, and ducks his head to follow everyone inside, and suddenly we're enveloped by sticky slime, cobwebs and darkness. Mike lifts up his arms slightly so my knees are up higher, making it easier to pass through the narrow passageway, which smells foul, even through my mask.

We all make it to the other side safely, and I take off the helmet to take a breath of fresh air. I throw it to the ground and Mike places me on the snowy grass, but he doesn't let go of me. He's holding me in his arms, rocking me back and forth. "I'm so glad you're safe, I'm so glad you're safe," he repeats over and over again, burying his face in my shoulder.

I look up to find everyone staring worriedly at Will, who's vomiting on the grass. When he's finished, his mum and Jonathan try to approach him, but he holds out his hand as though to say _wait_. Will walks over to Dustin and Lucas and begins to speak slowly, in a raspy voice that sounds as though he's in pain, "I'm so sorry for everything I've put you guys through, you're honestly the best friends anyone could have."

Dustin and Lucas waste no time in embracing him, although they're confused about the sudden apology. Will then let's go to go and hug his mum and Jonathan, although he doesn't say anything to them. He then moves on to Mike and I, who are still sitting on the ground, holding each other tightly.

He looks to Mike first, and then begins to speak, "Mike, I owe you an apology too... I've done some terrible things and it would be stupid to say I had no control over my actions. I could have fought against it, but I chose not to, I thought I would lose anyway."

"It's okay," Mike replies with a smile, "you've already been forgiven."

Will smiles sadly and looks at me, he stares at me for a while and then, with tears in his eyes, he starts to walk back over to the gate.

"W-Will? What're you doing!?" I yell after him weakly.

"I know it's not my place but... I love you, El," Will smiles as a few tears escape his eyes. Joyce is screaming after him, Jonathan is crying, but Will holds everyone in place with his powers as he steps inside the gate, closing it behind him using the last of his strength.

And that was the last time any of us saw Will Byers.

 _COMPLETED ON: 21/1/17_


End file.
